
aass_c Ol-7- 






BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



THIS VOLUME CONTAINS 



Biographical Sl<:etches 



OF 



Leading Citizens 



OF 



RUTLAND COUNTY, 

VERMONT. 



'Biography is the only true history." — Emerson. 



BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
George Richmond, Pres. ; S. Harmer Neff, Sec'y-; C. R. Arnold. Treas. 
BUFFALO, N. Y., CHICAGO, ILL. 
1899. 




PRKFACE 



'AVING brought to a successful termination our labors in Rutland County 
in compiling and editing the sketches herein contained, we desire, in 
presenting this Book of Biographies to our patrons, to make a few 
remarks, necessarily brief, in regard to the value and importance of local works of 
this nature. We agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson that "Biography is the 
only true History," and also are of the opinion that a collection of the biogra- 
phies of the leading men of a nation would give a more interesting, as well as 
authentic, history of their country than any other that could be written. The value 
of such a production as this cannot be too highly estimated. With each succeeding 
year the haze of Obscurity removes more and more from our view the fast disap- 
pearing landmarks of the past, Oblivion sprinkles her dust of forgetfulness on men 
and their deeds, effectually concealing them from the public eye, and because of the 
many living objects which claim our attention, few of those who have been removed 
from the busy world linger long in our memory. Even the glorious achievements 
of the present age may not insure it from being lost in the glare of greater things 
to come, and so it is manifestly a duty to posterity for the men of the present 
time to preserve a record of their lives and a story of their progress from low 
and humble beginnings to. great and noble deeds, in order that future generations 
may read the account of their successful struggles, and profit by their example. A 
local history affords the best means of preserving ancestral history, and it also 
becomes, immediately upon its publication, a ready book of reference for those who 
have occasion to seek biographical data of the leading and early settled families. 
Names, dates and events are not easily remembered by the average man, so it 
behooves the generations now living, who wish to live in the memory of their 
decendants, to write their own records, making them full and broad in scope, and 
minute in detail, and insure their preservation by having them put in printed form. 
We firmly believe that in these collated personal memoirs will be found as true and 
as faithful a record of Rutland County as may be obtained anywhere, for the very 
sufficient reason that its growth and development are identified with that of the 



PREFACE 



men who have made her what she is to-day — the representative, leading men, whose 
personal sketches it has been a pleasure to us to write and give a place in this volume. 
From the time when the hand of civilized man had not j'et violated the virgin soil with 
desecrating plough, nor with the ever-ready frontiersman's ax felled the noble, almost 
limitless, forests, to the present period of activity in all branches of industry, we may 
read in the histories of the county's leading men, and of their ancestors, the steady 
growth and development which has been going on here for a century and a half, and 
bids fair to continue for centuries to come. A hundred years from now, whatever 
records of the present time are then extant, having withstood the ravages of time 
and the ceaseless war of the elements, will be viewed with an absorbing interest, 
equaling, if not surpassing, that which is taken today in the liistory of the early 
settlements of America. 

It has been our purpose in the preparation of this work to pass over no phase 
or portion of it slightingly, but to give attention to the smallest points, and thus 
invest it with an air of accuracy, to be obtained in no other wzy. The result has 
amply justified the care that has been taken, for it is our honest belief that no 
more reliable production, under the circumstances, could have been compiled. 

One feature of this work, to which wc have given special prominence, and which 
we are sure will prove of extraordinary interest, is the collection of portraits of the 
representative and leading citizens, which appear throughout the volume. Wc ha\e 
tried to represent the different spheres of industrial and professional activity as well 
as we might. To those who have been so uniformly obliging and have kindly 
interested themselves in the success of this work, volunteering information and data, 
which have been very helpful to us in preparing this Book of Biographies of 
Rutland County, we desire to express our grateful and profound acknowledgment of 
their valued services. 

Chicago, III., December, 1899. the publishers. 



NOTE 

All the Biographical sketches published in this volume were 
submitted to their respective subjects, or to the subscribers, from 
whom the facts were primarily obtained, for their approval or 
correction before going to press; and a reasonable time was 
allowed in each case for the return of the type-written copies. 
Most of them were returned to us within the time allotted, or 
before the work was printed, after being corrected or revised; and 
these may therefore b.e regarded as reasonably accurate. 

A few, however, were not returned to us; and, as we have 
no means of knowing whether they contain errors or not, we 
cannot vouch for their accuracy. In justice to our readers, and 
to render this work more valuable for reference purposes, we have 
indicated these uncorrected sketches by a small asterisk (*), placed 
immediately after the name of the subject. They will all be 
found on the last pages of the book. 

BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING CO. 



Book of Biographies 
rutland county, 

VERMONT. 




lOHN ABNER MKAD. 



Book of Biographies 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



f^OHN ABNER MEAD, whose portrait 
is shown on the opposite page, enjoys 
a state-wide reputation as a result of 
his connection with the many enterprises and 
flourishing industries of Rutland, together 
with the official positions he has so faithfully 
filled. He was for many years a practitioner 
of medicine, but relinquished that profession 
because of the pressing needs of his busi- 
ness interests. He is now president of the 
Howe Scale Company, manufacturers of a 
scale recognized as the standard the world 
over, and it is much to his credit that this 
company is the flourishing enterprise that 
it is. 

Mr. Mead comes of a distinguished line of 
ancestors both on the paternal and maternal 
sides, and is of English descent. In ^Vestmin- 
ster Abbey, there is a monument erected to 
the memory of one of his ancestors, Richard 
Mead, M. D., who was physician to George 
H. and Queen Anne. At a later period. 



Colonel Richard K. Mead was aide-de-camp 
to General Washington from 1777 to 1783, 
and was with the connnander-in-chief in all 
his principal battles, and personally superin- 
tended the execution of the English spy, 
Major Andre. The Right Reverend William 
Mead, Bishop of Virginia, was of the same 
family, and another, Richard W. Mead, who 
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 
June, 1778, is said to have been the first im- 
porter of Merino sheep to this country. 

Our subject's great-grandfather was Colo- 
nel James Mead, who was the first white man 
to settle in Rutland or the Otter Creek Val- 
ley. He was a native of New York, having 
been born at Horseneck, August 25, 1730, 
and was descended from one who came to this 
country in 1642. Colonel James ]\fead pur- 
chased 7,000 acres of land, at six cents per 
acre, along Otter Creek and near the falls 
at Center Rutland. He moved to that locality 
from Manchester, Vermont, taking with him 



12 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



liis wife, eleven children and a son-in-law. 
He was the first moderator, and the first se- 
lectman in the town, and the first representa- 
tive from Rutland to the first Vermont Leg- 
islature. He had the honor of being the 
father of the first white child born in Rutland. 
He was united in marriage with Mercy 
Holmes of I4orscneck. X. Y.. and among their 
children was Abner, who married Amelia 
Roots, a daughter of Rev. Benajah Roots, who 
was one of the early ])rominent figures in Rut- 
laud, being the first settled pastor of the Con- 
gregational church, which was organized in 
1773. In the preface of his first sermon which 
was subsequently printed, he said he then 
knew of but one settled Congregational min- 
ister in the whole region of country between 
Massachusetts and Canada and the Hudson 
and Connecticut rivers, ft was at his home 
that Rev. William Emerson of Concord, 
Mass.. grandfather of I\alph \\'aldo Emerson, 
and army chaplain under Cieneral Gates in 
the Continental army, breathed his last. The 
Concord author had a letter written to the 
church by Rev. Mr. Roots, con\eying the 
intelligence of this death. Rev. Mr. Roots 
was a graduate of Princeton College, and died 
in 1787. Roswell R. Mead, the father of our 
subject, was a successful merchant in West 
Rutland up to the time of his decease in 1875. 
His faithful companion and helpmeet in life 
was Lydia .\. (jorham. bv whom he had one 
child, John .\., our subject. 

John .v. Mead was born in Eair Haven, Ver- 
mont, April 20, 1 84 1, and received his intel- 
lectual training in the connnon schools of 



West Rutland ; at Franklin Academy, Malone, 
N. Y. ; and at Middlebury College, from which 
he was graduated in 1864. He then entered 
upon study for the medical profession and 
in 1868 received a degree from the College 
of Physicians and Surgeons of Xcw ^'ork 
City. He was house physician in the Rings 
County Hospital for two years, after which he 
actively engaged in practice at Rutland, \^er- 
mont, until 1888. During this time he also 
served as surgeon-general of the state on th.e 
staft' of Governor Proctor, as medical super- 
inteiident of the House of Correction, and as 
pension examiner for eight years. He was 
surgeon-general of the \"ermont State En- 
campment of the Grand .\rmy of the Republic 
in 1890. In ]888. Dr. ]\Iead was offered a 
"Chair" in the Medical Department of the 
Universitv of A'ermont. but declined it as he 
wished to retire from his profession and de- 
vote his time to his business interests, as he 
was one of the largest real estate owners in 
the city of Rutland. The Alead Building, 
owned bv him, is one of the largest business 
blocks in the state. He has been director 
and cashier of the old National Bank of I-lut- 
land : treasurer of the Rutland Railroad; di- 
rector and treasurer of the Addison Rail- 
road ; director of the Clement National Bank ; 
\icc-]ircsident and later jiresidcnt of the State 
Trust Company ; director, vice-president and 
later ])resident of the Merchants' National 
Bank; president of the New England Fire In- 
surance Company, of the P. E. Chase Man- 
ufacturing Company, and of the John .\. 
Mead Manufacturing Company; president of 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



13 



the Rutland Board of Trade ; and a trustee of 
Middlebury College. In 1888, he re-organized 
the Howe Scale Company and is now presi- 
dent of that corporation. In 1892, he was 
elected by the Republican party to the State 
Senate, and took an active part in the work- 
ings of that body, serving as chairman of a 
number of important connnittees. One of the 
beneficial results of his term in that capacity 
was the securing of a city charter for Rutland, 
and he was elected its first mayor. 

Dr. ]\Iead served in the Civil War, enlisting 
in Company K, Twelfth Regiment, Vermont 
Volunteers, and after the Gettysburg cam- 
paign returned to his college and was grad- 
uated in 1864. He was a member of the staffs 
of General Alger and General Veazey, when 
they were commanders-in-chief of the Grand 
Army of the Republic. He is a member of 
Roberts Post, G.. A. R. He was appointed by 
Governor Le\i K. Fuller as one of the com- 
missioners from the state of Vermont to the 
World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 
in 1893; and he was also appointed by Gov- 
ernor U. A. Woodbury, in 1895, as commis- 
sioner from the state of Vermont to the Mexi- 
can National Exposition of Industries and 
Fine Arts. In religious attachments, our sub- 
ject is a member of the First Congregational 
church of Rutland, and for many years has 
been chairman of its executive committee. 
He is vice-president of the Congregational 
Club of Western Vermont. October 30, 1872, 
Dr. Mead was joined in hymeneal bonds with 
Mary M. Sherman, a daughter of William N. 
Sherman, a prominent citizen of Greenwich, 



R. I., and. they are the happy parents of one 
child, Mary Sherman. 




fs AYETTE and COLLINS POT- 
TER. The gentlemen whose names 
head this sketch are venerable and re- 
spected citizens of Pawlet, Rutland county, 
Vermont. They are brothers and are both 
highly gifted, one a successful attorney-at- 
law and a celebrated linguist, — the other, one 
of the most skillful millwrights in America, 
having followed this chosen calling for a pe- 
riod of sixty-six years. These brothers have 
never fallen victims to Cupid's darts, and have 
thus escaped majiy of life's vexations and 
worries. Although they are content in sin- 
gle-blessedness, they are not backward in 
social relations with the good people of their 
communities, but are kind, charitable neigh- 
bors and good citizens, and will be sadly 
missed in their accustomed places, when called 
to the world beyond. These brothers are 
sons of Samuel Potter, grandsons of Captain 
William Potter, and great-grandsons of Com- 
modore William Potter. 

Commodore Potter was born in 1725, and 
died October 12, 1773. He reared six sons 
and three daughters. Captain William Potter 
was born in New London, Conn., October 20, 
1749, and died in 1825. He was a mariner 
until he attained the age of forty years, when 
he settled on his farm in the town of Pawlet, 
Vermont. He was captain of a "deep sea mer- 
chantman," and, during the Revolutionary 



14 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



War, was engaged in bringing ammunition 
frcMii I'rance, for the use of the colonies. 

Captain I 'otter married I'hoebe Woodward 
August 23, 1 77 1. Slic died in 1833, leaving 
ten of lier eleven children. The fust two, 
William and John, were horn in Xew London, 
Connecticut. William was born December 
10, 1772, and John. April 23, 1775. Captain 
Potter then nioxed from New London to Hal- 
ifa.x. X. S., where his third son was born, 
April 28, 1778. Two other children were also 
born there: Phoebe, August 6, 1780, and 
Joshua, April 28, 1783. The other children 
were born in Wells, Vermont. The first born 
there were twins, Samuel and Abel. All of 
their children grew up and married, except 
Thomas, who remained a bachelor. John 
Potter settled in Warren county. New York, 
at a place called Pottersville, so named for 
him and his numerous family. 

Sanuiel Potter, father of the gentlemen to 
whom tliis memoir pertains, was hovn on his 
father's large farm in Wells, \'ermont, Aug- 
ust 7, 1786. He and his wife were blessed 
with ten children, and raised all but one 
daughter, Livonia, who died }-oung. Three 
of the sons and two daughters are still living, 
namely: Fanny, Collins, Edwin, Favette, and 
Helen. J'"anny was born in 1812. She is 
now the widow Lombard of Pawlet. lulwin 
went to Michigan, and afterward to Colorado 
and California. — and still later, located in Dal- 
las, Texas, where he still resides. Samuel 
Potter, another brother, vs'as educated at Cas- 
tleton, and was for many years a successful 
physician of Bufifalo, New York, where he 



died in the eighthieth year of his life. Helen 
married .\l)bott Robinson, and resides in Cali- 
fornia. Her siunmers, however, are spent in 
Pawlet. 

COLLINS POTTER was born in the vil- 
lage of Wells, Rutland county, Vermont, April 
9, 1814. \\'hile still a lad he began to learn 
the trade of a millwright, working first with 
Da\id Hitchcock, and, aftet^wartl, with Robert 
\\'ickham. He followed his chosen occupa- 
tion from 1830 to 1896, when he retired. Dur- 
ing these si.xty-six years he had from ten 
to twenty men under his supervision, and 
often a great many more. Besides building 
grist mills, starch mills, and creameries, he 
also built many dams and bridges. His work 
required his presence in the South for ten or 
twelve years, except during the heated season. 
One heavy job was in Georgia, near .Augusta. 
This consisted in building a niill on a large 
plantation, ui)on which about fi\-e hundred 
slaves were emploved, about sixty of whom 
were at his conmi;uid. Mr. Potter con- 
structed nearly all the dams on the Pawlet 
River, and built mills throughout many 
parts of the Cnited States. Fie has never 
married nor been a member of any order, soci- 
ety, or church. He has also ignoreil i)olitics. 
His home has been in Pawlet, since he was 
.seven years old. IMr. Potter enjoys the dis- 
tinction of being one of the most expert mill- 
wrights in the United States. 

FAYETTE POTTER was born in Pawlet, 
in September, 1823. He was educated in 
Union College, Schenectady, New York, from 
which he graduated in 1843, under Dr. Knott, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



15 



He carried off second honors in a class of nine- 
ty, first honors 1)eing- won by Orsamus Cole, 
afterward chief justice of the Supreme Court 
of \\^isconsin. I<"ayette Potter cliose for his 
life work the profession of law. He read law 
in Pawlet with Chief Justice Harnian, fatlier 
of H. A. Harman. county clerk of Ivutland 
county. Young- I'otter was admitted to the 
Rutland county bar in 1846 and began prac- 
tice in Pawlet. He purchased the interest and 
law fixtures of George W. Harman who left 
for Bennington at that time. Mr. Potter 
has continued to practice there ever since, ex- 
cept when absent on his travels. Although 
his father was a Jacksonian Democrat, Mr. 
Potter himself is a Republican and assisted in 
the formation of that party. In 1S78, he took 
a trip to Europe, and in 1893 made a tour 
around the globe. He has also traveled ex- 
tensively throughout the United States, vis- 
iting the South and West, and, especially, Cal- 
ifornia. Mr. Potter is a profound student of 
books and nature, both of whose pages he has 
perused. He has stored in his mind treasures 
of knowledge more than one scholar in a ;h(5u- 
sand can boast of. He is simplicity itself in 
all respects, and is one of nature's own, in 
dress, style, manners, and mode of living. No 
one, not personally acquainted with him, 
would consider him worth a hundred dollars, 
when in reality it takes thousands to express 
his financial possessions. Nor are there many 
who consider themselves good judges of 
human nature, who would easily recognize 
him as one of the best informed scholars and 
lawyers in the land. 



When Mr. Potter started on his tour 
around the world, or on his second trip to 
Europe, equipped with only a small satchel, 
even the keenest observers of men and nature 
would liever have guessed that he could speak 
eight different languages intelligently, and 
e\'en fluently, h'ayette Potter is a man of 
original ideas and habits. Though he pos- 
sesses, no doubt, a high idea of the fitness of 
things, yet to visit his ofifice, which is a typical 
hermit's retreat, one would find things in a 
most chaotic and primiti\-e state. It is not a 
law library, Ijut a laboratory with everything 
in delightful confusion. One of the most har- 
monious things in sight is the violin which 
Mr. Potter whittled out himself. 




IMON L. PECK resides upon his 
one hundred and fifty-acre farm, in 
the town of Ira, Rutland county, 
\'ermont, in the same house in which his birth 
occurred. Upon this site, his grandfather, 
Noah Peck, settled about one hundred and 
twentv years ago in his first home, which was 
a log cabin. Subsequently, he built the frame 
house now standing, which is one hundred 
years old. Simon L. Peck also owns a fifty- 
acre farm in the valley where he spent most of 
his years in agricultural pursuits. Quite re- 
cently, he has returned to the old homestead 
farm, which is a .sacred spot to him. He will 
preserve the old house as his residence as long- 
as possible, hoping to spend the remainder 
of his days within its walls. Mr. Peck is a 
master Mason and, in politics, a Republican. 



16 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



He is serving his twelftli. or thirteenth, year 
as town clerk, and has held other town offices. 
He served in the lower branch of the Legis- 
lature of \'ermont. for six consecutive years, 
from 1872. He also served in the State Sen- 
ate from 1890 to 1892. He is a devout mem- 
ber of the Baptist church, of which he has 
been a deacon fourteen years. 

Mr. Peck conies froni a highlv respected 
and influential family. Both paternal and 
maternal grandparents were natives of Rhocle 
Island. Ex-Governor .\sahel Peck, wiio 
made a splendid judicial as well as guberna- 
torial record, descended from the same ances- 
try. Simon L. Peck is a son of Lewis and 
Harriet (Brown) Peck, and grandson of Noah 
Peck. 

Noah Peck was twice married. He had 
four children by his first marriage, namely : 
David, Noah, and (wo daughters, who died 
young. His second wife bore him three sons 
as follows : Lewis, father of Simon L. ; 
Daniel, a farmer in Pennsylvania, who is now 
deceased ; and .\lphonso. Alphonso never 
married. He was blind for forty years prior 
to his death. He lived on the old homestead, 
in Ira. up to his demise, at the age of eighty- 
three years. Noah Peck died in 1839, when 
aI)out .seventy-eight years old. He rests in 
the old burial ground, in Clarendon. 

Lewis Peck was born, in 181 3, on the old 
homestead, where he spent his entire life. In 
1836, he married Harriet Brown, who was 
born near Chippenhook, \'t., in 1817. Lewis 
Peck died July 24, 1896, and iiis widow still 
survives him. She now resides in Brandon, 



\'t., with her daugliter. Although eighty- 
two years old, she is (juite bright and acti\e, 
and possesses a good memory. She has liad 
five children, eleven grandciiildren, and one 
great-grandchild. Her children are: Harri- 
son J-. Charles \\'., Simon L., the subject of 
this sketch, Gemont (j., and Amy A. 
Harrison J. is a lawyer, in ^Minnesota. 
Charles W. is a successful physician in Bran- 
don, \'ermont. Gemont G. died when three 
years old. Amy ,\. married S. B. Ryder, in 
Brandon, where her husband (deceased), was 
the editor of the "Brandon Union." Septem- 
ber 4, 1899, she married W. H. Flint, also of 
Brandon. 

Simon L. Peck attended Barre Acad- 
emy, and taught his first winter term when 
seventeen years old. He continued to 
teach, during winters, until he was thirty 
years okl. In 1869, he was united in mar- 
riage with Alice .\. Weaver, a daughter of 
Isaac and Elsie (Potter) Weaver. Mrs. Peck's 
parents are both living, as are also their three 
children. 

]Mr. and Mrs. Peck ha\e seven children, 
namely: Lily, Harrison J-. Bessie. Mary B., 
Charles William. josei)h, and Nathan. Lily 
married Merlin Collins, and has one daughter. 
Harrison J. is unmarried, and resides in East 
Hartford, New York. Bessie and ]\Iary B. 
are both employed at Middletown Springs. 
Charles William is a bright lad of fifteen years. 
Joseph is eleven, and Nathan, nine years old. 

Mr. Peck is a \alued member of society, and 
holds a high position in the esteem of his fel- 
low citizens. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



17 



f^OHN RANDOLPH DEW'EV, famil- 
iarly called "Deacon Dewey," a pros- 
perous dairy farmer in the town of 
Poultney, Vermont, was born on the farm 
which is still his home, February 28, 1824. 
He is a son of Azariah and Louisa (Darby) 
Dewey, and grandson of Major Zebudiah and 
Beulah (Stearns) Dewey. 

Major Zebudiah Dewey was a native of 
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where he 
was born in 1726. His death took place 
October 28, 1804. He was twice married. 
His first wife was the widow of Solomon Jack- 
son. She bore him one son, Thomas Dewey, 
and later died. His second marriage was con- 
tracted with Beulah Stearns of Mendon, Mas- 
sachusetts. After marriage, Mr. Dewey and 
his second wife made their home with his 
mother, Abigail Dewey, in Tyringham, Mas- 
sachusetts. They continued to reside with 
her until most of their children were born. In 
1772, or 1773, they removed to Poultney, and, 
probably, located where the Beaman house 
stood. 

But Major Dewey was not satisfied with 
that location, as the neighbors were too near 
and too numerous. He sold his farm there, 
and retired to the head of Hampshire Hol- 
low. At that time, the clearing extended 
only to Town Hill. The balance of the way 
to his farm was marked by blazed trees. Upon 
seeking this secluded home. Major Dewev 
was forty-seven years old, and his wife ten 
years his junior. He was a bold, brave, res- 
olute man, and was a typical hunter and fron- 
tiersman. The region of his new home was 



\ery favorable for his sport with dog and gun. 
Large game was plentiful and many bear, 
wolf and deer, went down before his un- 
erring aim. 

In appearance, Mr. Dewey was five feet, 
ten inches in height; he was slender, but mus- 
cular; his hair was dark, and his small, keen 
eyes were black. Although of a sanguine 
temperament, he possessed a good mind, and 
was known to be a man of good common 
sense and sound judgment. He was just the 
man to be chosen, as he was, to represent the 
town, in those troublesome times, in the gen- 
eral association of delegates for the defense 
of their liberties. Much of his land was ob- 
tained by paying the overdue taxes, and cost 
him but little. He valued his land mostly 
for its good hardwood timber, and for tiie 
abundant game to be found there. His 
youngest daughter said, "But for this, we 
might have been village belles instead of wood 
nymphs." 

Tradition says Major Dewey was the first 
captain in the militia and obtained the title 
of "major" for his part in the battle of Hub- 
bardton. When the American troops were 
dispersed, he, with others, sought his, home, 
and finding his family gone, drove his young 
cattle far into the woods, and with his yoked 
oxen and cart, started in pursuit of his fleeing 
household. He overtook them at Pawlet, 
where they had stopped for the night. The inn- 
keeper's family were Tory sympathizers, and 
when Mrs. Dewey asked for bread for the cry- 
ing children, she was told they had none. 
When the landladv left the room, however, 



18 



BOOK OK BIOGRAPHIES 



bread was found, and given to tlie children. 
I'cfore dc]iarting', the Dcweys paid tlicir bill. 

Azariali Dewey, faliicr of Jolin Randolpli, 
was born in Massaduisetts, in 1765. He was 
also twice marrii'il. I lis iinidii with Amelia 
Suiilli, rosullcd in llif Jjiilli of two sons and 
one daULjlitrr. nanu'ly: Snltunon, JacI<son, 
Arcliil)ald, and Al)ii;ail. Solomon was a farm- 
er in llampshire iiollow. near the old Dewey 
farm. lie reared live sons and one daui^Ii- 
ter. Arrliiliald was ako a tarmer in llie same 
\ieinit\-. Imt remo\ed. sul)sei|ueiUly. lo I'ort 
Ann. New \ Drk. lie died at the a<l\anced 
ai;e of eighty-fnc years. .Xhis^ail married I'd! 
-Anderson, a son of old John .\nderson, of 
Revolution.ary fame. They went to Com- 
stoek, .Mieliii^an, where Mrs. .Xnderson died 
at fonrscore and li\e _\ears. .She had two 
daughters and six sons, .\fter the death of 
liis first wife, .\zariah Dewey married 
Louisa Darbw of Scotch nati\itv. She bore 
her luisband ten cliildrcn. six of wnom grew 
to maturitw as follows: IkMijamin h'ranklin. 
John Milton, .Sar.'di h'.liza, llenrw Jnlni Ran- 
dolph, the subject of these lines, and James 
Madison. 

licnjamin I'l'anklin was a farmer nn the old 
farm. lie was married at lift\ li\e vears of 
age, and had no children. lie died at the 
age of se\ent\'. John .Milton was a farmer in 
West Rutland. lie married a Miss Jojmson 
and had six children. ( )ne of his daugh- 
tiM-s is .Mrs. W'ilham 11. Woodard. of West 
Rutland. Sarah hdiza died, in 1S3S. in her 
tw ent\- fiiurth \ear. llem-\- died in iS^i), in 
his nineteenth \ear. lames Matlison was a 



farmer in Fair Haven, Vt., but is now living 
in Massachusetts. He has been twice mar- 
ried, but has no children. 

Azariah Dewey was a captain of tiie militia 
and started for the battle of I'laltsburg. l)ut 
was too late, lie accuuudated land, and 
owned four hundred acres, of which the sub- 
ject of this sl<elcli now owns two hundred 
acres and has owned as nmch as six hundred 
acres at one time, .\zariah 1 )ewey died March 
31. 1S32, and was sur\i\cd b_\' liis widow, until 
March, 1859. 

John l\andol])h Dewey is of ]nnc .Scotch 
and English origin. In his youth, he bad a 
common schooling. This was supplemented 
by a course in Castleton. after which he taught 
for three winters, liis marriage with Melissa 
Brown was solennnzed on his tweutv-liftb 
birthday. Mrs. Dewey was born in C"astle- 
ton, October 29. 1825, and bore her husband 
two children, Delos Li\ingston and Matella 
Luelta. The former died of smallpox, when 
tbirt\-twd years old. He was mnuarried, and 
was in Colorado. Just prior to his last ill- 
ness, be was making preparations to retin-n 
home. The latter married James Fox. She 
died in her twenty-sixth ve;u', leaving twv) 
children. They are Leon LllswDrth and Clecj 
Edna Inez. Leon Ellsworth is now a young 
man of twenty-three years. lie li\es on the 
farm, with bis grauilfather and is a most 
promising young man. Cleo I'.dna Inez. ;dso, 
resides with her gi-:uidfather. She has been 
his housekeeper e\er since the death of her 
grandmother, I'ebruary 10, iS()4. 

Air. Dewev is a Republican, but has taken 




JOHN WILLEV CRAMTOX. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



21 



no active part in politics. He has been much 
interested in educational affairs, and has 
served as school director, for thirty-five years. 
He was also ox'erseer of the poor farm, for 
one year. The subject of this sketch has 
been a faithful member of the Baptist church 
for more than fifty-six years, and has been a 
deacon therein about thirty years. For many 
}ears he carried on general farming, but of late 
has devoted special attention to dairying. He 
keeps three horses and about thirtv-five head 
of cattle, among which are about twenty head 
of choice milch cows. 



^OHN WILLF.Y CRAMTON. of Rut- 
land, A'ermont, whose portrait appears 
on the opposite page, is a native 
of this county and was born in Tinmouth, 
November lo, 1826. He is a son of Elihu 
Cramton, who was a farmer of Tinmouth, 
where the greater part of liis career was spent. 
John W. Cramton spent his early manhood 
on the old farm and received his education in 
the district schools of his native town. The 
first place to which he went after leaving 
home was Templeton, Mass., where he re- 
mained for three years, engaged in peddling. 
In 1853 he came to Rutland, where he became 
a manufacturer of tinware, which business he 
conducted most successfully for many years. 
In i860, he began his hotel life, becoming the 
proprietor of .the Central House, then a well- 
known hotel of Rutland county. In 1864, he 
purchased the Bardwell House, which has 



been his home the past thirty-five years. 

Through his business transactions and so- 
cial relations with commercial men, he has 
become well known not only in Vermont, but 
in all New England and many other states. 
To mention all the various enterprises in 
which Mr. Cramton has been engaged and 
the positions he has filled, both in public and 
private life, would not be in harmony with 
his retiring modesty. In 1886, he became the 
trustee of the Howe Scale Company, to which 
he brought additional capital and thus helped 
it out of its embarrassed state. Upon the re- 
organization of the company, he was made its 
vice-president and still holds that position. 
Gov. Barstow appointed him a director of the 
State Prison and he filled that position for 
over ten years. At the present time, he is 
president of the Ba.xter National Bank, the 
True Blue Marble Company, the Steam Stone 
Cutter Company, and the Rutland Street Rail- 
way Company. He has served his townspeo- 
ple several times by acting as chief executive 
officer. 

It has been Mr. Cramton's purpose to not 
allow his financial interests to absorb his en- 
tire attention and to do this he has taken an 
active interest in agriculture of the progres- 
sive type, and owns several large estates in his 
native and other counties. His interest over- 
reaches general farming and extends to the 
welfare of the county and state. He has 
served as an officer of the county and state 
societies. He has engaged quite extensively 
in stock-raising and dairying on his fine farms. 
The Rutland farms are especially devoted to 



22 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



dairying- interests. Fine horses are found on 
all his farms and it is in tliese that he mani- 
fests personal pride. In liis stal)les at the 
Bardwell House are some of tlie finest single 
and double turnouts to be found in the state. 

During the Civil War he was largely en- 
gaged in jjurchasing government horses and 
recently was director of the Vermont Horse 
Breeders' Association. For more than twenty 
years he was president and a director of the 
State Fair Association. Mr. Cramton has al- 
ways been a loyal Republican, but has given 
little attention to politics. He cares more 
for the api^roxal of fellowship and kind-heart- 
ed neighbors than ofticial capacity. But in 
appreciation of hi.s modest worth, kind-heart- 
edness, and honesty, he was chosen senator 
from Rutland county in 1888. 

October 3, 1882, he formed a matrimonial 
alliance with Florence Belle Gates, the only 
daughter of Jacob and Mary (Bucklin) Gates, 
of Rutland county, \'t. ^Ir. Cramton favors 
the Protestant Episcopal church. His frater- 
nal associations are with the K. T. ; F. & A. 
M. ; K. of P. ; and the Plymouth Rock Asso- 
ciation. He is a typical Vermonter of stalwart 
type, standing six feet and some inches ; and 
it w ill be seen from this brief sketch that he has 
been a busy man through his long life until 
recently, when ailing health retired him to his 
home in the Bardwell House, wliere he and 
Mrs. Cramton are most pleasantly situated. 

Elihu Cramton, father of our subject, was 
born and died in Tinmouth, \'ermont. He 
was a son of Xeri CranUon, who was born 
in Fitchfield, Conn., in 1743, antl died in Tin- 



mouth, Vt., September 20, 1827. Neri Cram- 
ton was a bold and fearless soldier of the Rev- 
olutionary War. He was with Ethan Allen 
at Ticonderoga, and when Burgoyne marched 
to Whitehall, Neri Cramton and his party 
of scouts were taken prisoners. He could 
only escape by taking protection under Bur- 
goyne, and went home to get his family, and 
when he got as far as Arlington, he surmised 
there would soon be a battle and left his fam- 
ily to go to Bennington, where the battle took 
place the next day. His friend tried to per- 
suade him not to go, as it was said that if he 
were again taken i)risoner he would be exe- 
cuted ; but his reply was that he would not 
be taken ali\e. Upon the result of the battle 
depended his freedom, and thus he escaped. 

Neri Cramton wedded Abigail Field, and 
reared six sons and three daughters, of whom 
Elihu or "Hugh," as he was familiarly known, 
was the seventh child and the fifth son. Elihu 
CranUon had ele\en children. Other mem- 
bers of the family were : Betsey, who had 
eight children ; Eula, who reared four daugh- 
ters; and Lewis, who lost one daughter, a 
young lady, and left only one son at his death. 

A. Smith Cramton, brother of our subject, 
was born in the town of Tinmouth, \'t., and 
was reared to farm life. His schooling was 
very meager. October 9, 1877, he was joined 
in marriage with Laura E. Brown, of Poult- 
ney, Vt., a daughter of Moses and Catherine 
(Ross) Brown; she has one brother and one 
half brother. Two children were born of this 
union, as follows: Ellen Brown, now attend- 
ing college; and Walter S. Smith, a youth of 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



23 



thirteen, attending scliool at liome. A. Smith 
Cramton removed to a farm in the town of 
Rutland a few years before his marriage. His 
mother hved with him; she died about 1881, 
aged eighty years. Mr. Cramton was not a 
member of any churcli, but was a regular at- 
tendant of the Congregational church of which 
his widow is a member. April 6, 1888, he was 
cut off by death at the age of fifty-two years. 
Since his death, Mrs. Cramton has had com- 
plete charge of the fine, 160-acre farm, which 
she manages in an able manner, carrying on 
general farming. 



_-— ^ RWIN LEONARD, a prosperous 
B cheese maker, residing at Middle- 

'^^ ■ " town Springs, Vermont, is consid- 
ered an expert cheese and butter maker. He 
has had wide experience in the business and 
fully understands the correct methods em- 
ployed to secure the best results. 

Mr. Leonard was born in the village which 
is still his home, July 5, 1856. He is the elder 
of two sons, who, with a daughter, comprised 
the offspring of his parents. His only 
brother, George Leonard, is a sturdy farmer, 
and a confirmed bachelor. The daughter, 
Ida, died, when three years old. The subject 
of this sketch was reared on a farm, where he 
remained until he attained the age of eighteen 
years. He then began to learn the craft to 
which he has since devoted his energies. After 
working with R. C. Cook, at Shoreham, Ver- 
mont, for about three months, he had com- 



pletely mastered the business and was able to 
start into trade for himself. 

The first cheese factory of which he had 
charge was at Hampton, New York. Since 
then he has put up and conducted several fac- 
tories at different places. He has been located 
at the following places: Clarendon, six years; 
Weston, four years; Pawlet, one year; Tin- 
mouth, two years; Granville, two years; 
Hampton, one year; Ausable, one year; Cas- 
tleton, three years ; North Georgia, Vermont, 
one year ; and Middletown Springs, five years. 
Erwin Leonard is a son of Calvin and Abigail 
(Caswell) Leonard. 

His paternal grandparents lived in Poult- 
ney, Vermont. They reared four sons and 
three daughters. One daughter married, but 
the other remained single. The sons are all 
now deceased. Each left a small family. Cal- 
vin Leonard was also a native of Middletown 
Springs, wdiere his birth occurred in 1810. He 
followed the occupation of farming in the 
same town where both he and his wife were 
born, reared, married, spent their lives, and 
died. Calvin Leonard was joined in marriage 
with Abigail Caswell, in 1849. 

Mrs. Leonard was a daughter of John Cas- 
well, who died July 13, 1830. The Caswell 
family is particularly noted for longevity. 
Valetta Caswell, a maiden aunt of the subject 
of this sketch, attained the remarkable age of 
ninety-two years. His uncle, Josiah Caswell, 
died May 20, 1833, when only eighteen years 
old, and his little sister Rosealba was accident- 
ally killed by a rolling log. She was only four 
years old. The cemetery at Middletown 



24 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Springs contains al)Out twelve Caswell graves. 
Many of the members of the family there bur- 
ied died at an advanced age. The maternal 
grandmother of Erwin Leonard died Decem- 
ber 22, 1864. 

Jesse Caswell, the great-uncle of Mr. Leon- 
ard, was a Congregaticmal niission;iry to Siam. 
While there he taught the King of Siam 
the English alphabet. After returning to 
America, the missionary died. Upon learn- 
ing this fact, the King sent his widow $1,000. 
Another great-uncle, Vanira Caswell, died in 
Castleton, where his widow also died, in 1899, 
in lier ninety-fourth year. Mr. Leonard is an 
enterprising business man and is a general 
fax'orite in his comniunitw He is a master 
ALason. 




LBLRT Y. CR.W. From the earliest 
settlenu'iit of Middletown, Vermont, 
and of the village of Middle- 
town Springs, no name has stood for more 
worth, than that of Gray. Mr. Gray is a junior 
partner in the manufacturing establishment of 
A. \V. Gray's Sons, and has much to do with 
its success. Me is also a banker of Middle- 
town Springs, his native jjlace. He was born 
July 22, 1844, an<l is a son of Albert W. and 
Angeline (Skinner) Gray. 

Albert W. Gray was born in Dorset, Ver- 
mont, September 30. 1810. After a pro- 
longed .sickness, he died at his residence in 
Midletown Si)rings, Vermont. October 26. 
1885. He came of good New England stock, 
but was born and reared in humble circum- 



stances, from which he struggled upward by 
liis own energy, tact and talents. He was un- 
aided by friends, and his long life was full of 
hard work and usefulness. His parents were 
Aaron and Hannah (Higby) Gray. Aaron 
Gray was born in Connecticut, in 1773, and 
died in 1835. He reared one daughter and 
two sons, namely : Laura, Albert W. and Wil- 
liam P. Laura was born July 13, 1803, and 
married a Mr. Sautell. She died leaving two 
children. William P. became a physician, in 
Wisconsin, .\aron with his three brothers 
went to Dorset, \'ermont, when it was first 
settled. His grandfather was an officer in the 
Revolutionary W ar, during which he was 
slain. His mother was born in Hubbard- 
ton. Her father was a patriot of the Revolu- 
tion and took part in the battle of Hubbard- 
ton. 

Aaron Gray moved with his family to Ohio, 
in iSig. when .\lhcit W. was but nine years 
old. His wife died, and other reverses or mis- 
fortunes came to him. and finally compelled 
him to return to Dorset. He was very poor 
and sent .\lbert W. to li\e with his uncle, Eli- 
jah (iray. at Charlotte, \'ermont. Albert W. 
Gray continued to live with this uncle until he 
attained the age of fifteen years, when he w-as 
bound out, as an apprentice, to Henry Gray, 
another relative in Middletown. \'ermont, to 
learn the w heelwright's trade. 

He thus served for five years, and at the age 
of twenty years went into business for himself. 
His diligence, and his a])titude in mechanics, 
soon won success. He became known as a 
careful and most excellent workman, with an 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



25 



inclination and genius for invention. He 
spent much time and much money on study, 
and in experiments in tlie tield of applied me- 
chanical principles. In 1836. he patented a 
cornsheller, which, when put into use, proved 
to be one of the best known at that period. By 
selling county rights, it brought him a neat 
sum of money. In 1844, he invented a horse 
power machine which was perhaps equally as 
good as anything else then made in that line. 
He had it patented, and built a few machines, 
with one or two men to help him. hut the 
effort was not successful. 

About that time Mr. Gray invented a ma- 
chine to make wrought iron nails. This was 
said to be the first invention of the kind in the 
world, all nails having been made by hand 
previous to that time. Though a great suc- 
cess, it never brought any returns of much 
value, owing to the tariff reduction. But his 
mind was still active, and his next accomplish- 
ment was no doubt the crowning work of his 
life as an in\entor. He improved and per- 
fected his horse power machine. With this 
invention, of 1856, his name has gone all over 
the world. It proved the foundation of a very 
large and extensive business, which brought 
great wealth to its owners. The merits of the 
machine commanded success, and its manu- 
facture, from the start, was a thriving and suc- 
cessful business. 

In 1857, Mr. Gray bought the brick woolen 
mill in his town, and fitted it up as a factory. 
The concern has continued to prosper ever 
since then, with constant profits. His sons 
were associated with him for years before he 



retired. Although a most energetic business 
man, he still found time to serve the public 
in various town offices. He was sent to the 
legislature in 1866, and 1867, and was one of 
the eight representatives from Rutland county 
to the constitutional convention, in 1857. He 
it was who discovered the mineral springs at 
Middletown, which ha\-e since caused the 
place to become a summer resort. Thus he 
has directly and indirectly contributed to the 
growth of the place, more than any other man. 

Albert W. Gray was twice married. He 
first married Angeline Skinner, who bore him 
four children, two sons and two daughters, 
namely : Abigail C. ; Leonidas ; Josephine C. ; 
and Albert Y., the subject of this sketch. After 
the death of his first wife, although well ad- 
vanced in years, Mr. Gray again married. This 
time Martha Holbrook, of Sandy Hill. New 
York, became his wife, and bore him one 
daughter, Elizabeth. 

Abigail C. Gray was born April 28, 1833. 
She married Oscar C. Burritt on December 
-5- 1855. They were the parents of six chil- 
dren, namely: Nelson, born May 14, 1857; 
Oscar C., born July 24, 1863; Bertha H. and 
Bertha L, twins, born November 18, 1866; 
William G., born July 8, 1872; and Le Grand, 
born Novembers, 1874. Josephine C. Gray 
was born August 27, 1838. July 4, i860, she 
was joined in marriage with John P. Clark. 
They have three children, as follows: Eva A., 
born May 18, 1861 ; Emma, born November 
20, 1865 ; and John W., born March 31, 1871. 

Leonidas Gray was born December 10, 
1834. He had only a common schooling, and 



26 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



when Still very young, began to help his father, 
and was reared to the business which still 
claims his attention. The present concern 
was established in 1856, when Leonidas be- 
came a i)artner with his father. They then 
had only a small shop, thirty-six feet long by 
sixteen feet wide. Within a year, the business 
increased and outgrew the place. The brick 
woolen mill was then purchased and the man- 
ufacture of horse power was started there with 
only one hired man. as father and son were 
both practical workmen. The present plant 
was established in 1866, when Albert Y. Gray, 
the subject of this sketch, was also admitted as 
a partner. The firm name was then changed 
to A. W. Gray & Sons. In 1875, the father 
sold his interest to his sons, and the firm style 
has since been A. W. Gray's Sons. 

Leonidas Gray was joined in marriage with 
Ellen Mosely, of Middletown, September 12, 
i860.* She died in a hospital in 1872, leaving 
three children to the care of her husband. 
Their names are : Francis L., born January 
21, 1862; Ellen Corinne, born July 28, 1863; 
and Ethel Mosely, born August 29, 1867. 
Ellen Corinne married William S. Hickox. 
They have two children, Alice and Sherman. 
William S. Hickox is a cashier of the L. & A. 
Y. Gray Bank, in Middletown Springs. Ethel 
Mosely Gray married Benjamin Buxton, and 
resides in Muchakinock, Iowa. He is super- 
intendent of the Chicago & Northwestern 
Railway Co.'s coal mines, as his father was, 
before him. Mr. and Mrs. Buxton have two 
children, Alice Gray and Corinne Gray. 

December 15, 1875, Leonidas Gray formed 



a second matrimonial alliance. In this in- 
stance, he wedded Alice Woodruf?. One son, 
Albert W., blessed this union. He was born 
December 13, 1881, and is now a tall youth, 
six feet and one-half inch in height, al- 
though not fully grown. He is preparing to 
attend Yale College in 1900, and is taking his 
preparatory course at the Hotchkiss school in 
East Hampton, Massachusetts. In politics, 
Leonidas Gray is a Republican, as was his 
father. Although the office was unsought by 
him, he served in the legislature in 1880. He 
is not a church nieml)er, but is a liberal sup- 
porter of the Congregational church. His 
elegant home was built twenty-one years ago, 
and was first occupied by him in 1878. 

Albert Y. Gray, the subject hereof, had only 
a common schooling. Like his brother, he 
early began to assist his father and grew up 
with the business. Before reaching his ma- 
jority, he became an equal partner in the busi- 
ness. December 10, 1868, he married Mrs. 
Sarah (Clark) Marshall, a daughter of Eve- 
rett Clark. Two children blessed this union, 
Lena S. and Josephine B. Lena S. married 
\y. E. Knapp, formerly of Elizabeth, New 
Jersey, now of Middletown Springs; they 
have two children, Waldo Gray, and Norman 
Gray. 

Josephine B. married Brainard Avery, an 
attorney-at-law. Mr. Avery graduated from 
the Columbian University of W^ashington, 
District of Columbia, and also from the Cath- 
olic University. He took the degrees of doc- 
tor of law and master of law. He was admit- 
ted to the bar at Montpelier, Vermont, and 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



27 



to that of the supreme court, at Washington. 
He resides in Washington, where he is clerk 
to the commissioner of agriculture and fores- 
try, of which conmiission Senator Proctor is 
the chairman. Mrs. Avery was educated at the 
Temple Grove school, Saratoga, and her sis- 
ter graduated at Waterbury, Connecticut. 

Mr. Gray has been, and is, one of the lead- 
ing spirits of Middletown Springs, and has 
contributed much to its growth. But for him 
and his close friend, Mr. Wheeler, the excel- 
lent new road to Poultney, would not exist. 
But when these two men put their energies 
together and their hands in their pockets, the 
undertaking was a success, — and not before. 
This is one of the most pleasant and beau- 
tiful driveways in Rutland county, and ex- 
tends from Middletown Springs tb Poult- 
ney. Mr. Gray is a Thirty-second degree 
Mason and, in politics, is a Republican. He 
has borne his share of official drudgery, and 
was in the lower branch of the legislature in 
1876, and in the senate, in 1886. He has trav- 
eled extensively, both at home and abroad. 

In 1890 and 1891, he visited all the coun- 
tries where the products of his plant are sold. 
Many and important changes have taken 
place in this plant since Mr. Gray has been a 
member of the firm. New and improved 
automatic machines have taken the place of 
the hand- saw and jack, and twelve additions 
have been made to the factory. About ten 
store houses have also been built. From 
forty to sixty men find employment there. 
Their "horse powers" are sold in every civ- 
ilized country on the globe, even in the heart 



of Africa, in Egypt and in Asia, among the 
Himalaya Mountains. 

They have, constantly on the road, travel- 
ing salesmen, from three to six in number. 
In addition to this, they have agents in many 
parts of the world. A shipment was made 
recently to Russia, containing ten carloads of 
machines. These machines were solely in- 
vented by the Grays, and each and every part 
of them is made in their factories. Mr. Gray 
worships at the Congregational church. 



AMES M. KETCHUM. Having re- 
tired from the labors of his farm in Sud- 
bury, James M. Ketchum now lives in 
the village of Brandon, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, where he is enjoying the only leisure pe- 
riod of his career. He is of English deriva- 
tion, — a son of Major Barnard Ketchum, 
and grandson of Thomas Ketchum. 

The birthplace of the subject hereof was 
Sudbury, Rutland county, Vermont, and the 
date of his advent into the world was January 
17, 1820. His father, Major Barnard Ket- 
chum, was born at Nine Partners, Dutchess 
county, New York, in 1776. He died in Sud- 
bury, March 13, 1855. In 1783, when seven 
years old, he was brought to Vermont by his 
father, Thomas Ketchum. 

Thomas Ketchum married Mary Doughty, 
who was of Dutch origin. The fam- 
ily ancestors have been devoted to farming, 
and the grandfather of James M. came to Ver- 
mont to better his condition in that 



28 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



sphere of operation. He was born on 
February 8th, 1748. at Nine Partners, Dutch- 
ess county. New "S'ork. His wife. Mary 
Doughty, a native of the same place, was born 
September 5, 1749. Their cliildren were: 
Rebecca, l)orn June 24, 1770; Plioebe, born 
June 24, 1772; W'iUiam, horn December 23, 
1774: Tiiomas. Jr.. horn January 25, 1776; 
Barnard fatlicr of James M.. born March 2, 
1778: Ehas. horn May 2, 1780; Pamelia, 
born September 2t,. T782 ; Rutli, horn Novem- 
ber 7, 1784; Mary, born January 7, 1787; 
Isaac, born February 14, 1789; and Sarah, 
born February 5, 1792. 

Mr. Kctchum's mother was Mary Jackson, 
whose l)irth occurred in 1783, at Dedham, 
Massachusetts. His parents were married in 
Sudbury, and h\ed on the old homestead farm 
where her grandfather, Aaron Jackson, had 
settled long l^efore. 

When Major liarnard Ketchum died, this 
farm contained alnnit fifteen hundrefl acres, 
and James M. Ketchum owns fi\e hundred 
and fifty acres, of which tlic two hundred and 
forty acres belonging to his grandfather form 
a part. The father of the suliject hereof in- 
creased its area to its jiresent extent. In addi- 
tion to this proi)ert)', he had other landed pos- 
sessions. He was a thrifty business man. be- 
ing engaged, also, in mercantile pursuits. He 
was an officer in the W'.ar of 1812. and served 
the ])uhlic in various civic capacities, — repre- 
senting his district in the legislature for sev- 
eral terms. The remains of Maj. Ivetchum 
and his wife lie in the cemetery at Sudbury. 
They reared ten children, as follows: Aaron, 



born in 1802, deceased at the age of eighty- 
two years; Lucy, who died young; Mary 
(Waller), who was born about the year 1806, 
and died when eight\- years old; Adeline 
(\\'alker) hcjrn in i8o<), and died in old age; 
Andrew J. who died in 1889, aged eiglity- 
four years; Caroline (Kidder), a widow, in lier 
eighty-third year, haxing one son, a farmer 
in Sudbury; James M., the subject hereof; 
Angeline (Vail), a widow, li\ing in Orwell, 
V't. ; DeWitt C, who died in California soon 
after going there in January, 1850, and Mar- 
garet, who died when about five years of age. 
Maj. Ketchum died ]\Iarch 3, 1855, and 
his wife passed away in June, 1868. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was reared on the farm 
and in his father's store, which he and his 
brother .\aron conducted for him. Mr. 
Ketchum h;is been jiresident of the Rutland 
County Agricultural Society. He says its 
first president was I<"rederick llutton, of Clar- 
endon, who was succeeded 1)\' Highland Hall, 
of Wallingford, who was in turn succeeded by 
Mr. Farnum, of Poultney, whose successor 
was t.'. II. Kellogg, of I'ittsforil ; Judge Kel- 
logg was followed b)- Capt. Sheldon, of Fair 
Haven : then Daniel Kindiark, of Clarentlon ; 
followed in regular succession by H. W. Les- 
ter, of Rutland; .\lva Post, of Rutland; James 
^L Kelcluun, of Su(Il)ury; D. A. Smith, of 
Danby; L. Howard Kellogg, of Benson; 
Henry F. Lothro]). of Pittsford ; Linstry 
Rounds, of Clarendon ; Pitt W. Hyde, of Cas- 
tleton ; Hem-y Clark, of l^oultne)-; florace H. 

Dyer, of Rutland ; . of \\'ells ; Nathan T. 

Sprague. of Brandon ; J. S. Benedict, of Cas- 







' %^ 






ft* 






.M 


^ 




^ 


1 




^ ^ 


r 



ANDREW N. ADAMS. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



31 



tleton; Jesse L. Billings, of Rutland; Seneca 

Root, of Hubbardton; Redfield Proctor, of 
Proctor; Mr. Landon, of Rutland; George 
Chaffee, of Rutland; Fletcher D. Proctor, of 
Proctor; John H. Mead, of West Rutland, and 
C. M. Winston, of Brandon. Mr. Ketchum 
is gifted with a most tenacious memory. 

The subject of this memoir has held the 
various town offices in Sudbury., Through- 
out the state he is known as a man of con- 
siderable experience in horticultural matters. 
He began in 1850 to plant orchards of apples 
and other fruits. 

He relinquished the cultivation of his farm 
about 1884, and for the past fifteen years has 
been a tenant in his present residence, which 
he can thus occupy at less expense than as its 
owner. Mr. Ketchum's dwelling is one of 
those conspicuously pleasant homes, where 
l)rothers and sisters are abiding together in 
a harmonious household, and spending their 
closing years in happiness and comfort. 




NDREW N. ADAMS, a retired marble 
manufacturer and author, of Fair 
Haven, Vermont, whose portrait 
accompanies this sketch, was born in the town 
where he still lives, January 6, 1830. He is a 
.son of Joseph and Stella (Miller) Adams, 
grandson of John Adams, great-grandson of 
James Adams, and great-great-grandson of 
Deacon James Adams of the Presbyterian 
Church of Scotland. 

Our subject possesses rare literary talents. 
He is the author and compiler of "The De- 



scendants of James and ^^'illiam Adams of 
Londonderry, New Hampshire," of the "His- 
tory of Fair Haven, Vermont," and of the 
large genealogical history of "The Descend- 
ants of Henry Adams of Braintree, Mass." He 
has ready for publication a history of "The 
Descendants of Robert Adams of Newbury, 
Mass." He is a member of the Rutland 
County Historical Society and is the genealo- 
gist of the Adams families of New England. 

In his work on "The Descendants of James 
and William Adams of Londonderry, New 
Hampshire," our subject traces his ancestors 
back to James Adams, of Scotch nationality, 
who emigrated from the North of Ireland to 
Londonderry, N. H. He was born in Argyle- 
shire, Scotland, prior to 1680, and about 1700 
he married Elizabeth Elder. After living some 
years in the North of Ireland, they came to 
America in 1 721, locating in Londonderry, 
N. H. There the death of the sturdy old 
deacon occurred in May, 1743- His five chil- 
dren were probably born in Ireland. Their 
names are Robert, John, Jeannette, James, Jr., 
and Mary. James Adams was a man of means 
when he crossed the ocean. He lived one year 
in Massachusetts before settling down in New 
Hampshire. 

James Adams, Jr., was but ten years old 
when the family came to America. He mar- 
ried Sarah Campbell, who died in London- 
derry, September 6, 1778, in her fifty-ninth 
year. She was survived by her husband until 
September 15, 1781, when he passed away, 
aged seventy-one years. They rest side by 
side in the old cemetery on the hill at the 



32 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Upper village, where Robert Adams is also 
buried. James Adams, Jr., lived on one of 
his several farms in Derry, New Hampshire, 
and bouijht and sold farms in other towns. 
His will, made in 1780, speaks of his children 
as follows: James, Robert, John, Andrew, 
Mary, Sarah, Jeannette, Alexander, and 
Elizabeth. 

John Adams, grandfather of our subject, 
was born in Derry, N. H., June 5, 1756, and 
died in Whitehall. N. Y., August 22, 1838, 
having reared si.x children, — three sons and 
three daughters; he was twice married. He 
was a man of prominence. 

Joseph Adams, a son of John, was born in 
Londonderry, N. H., in February, 1802. He 
was joined in marriage with .Stella Miller, who 
was born in Hampton, New York, July 30, 
1806, and was a daughter of Captain William 
Miller. Her brother, Captain W^illiam Miller, 
was in the battle of Plattsburg; he was also 
the prophet of the Second Adventists. Unto 
Joseph Adams and his wife were born eight 
children, two of whom are now li\ing, name- 
ly: Helen M., the widow of David B. Colton, 
who resides at Fair Haven, \'t. ; and Andrew 
N., our subject. 

Joseph Adams learned the trade of a shoe- 
maker from his father. Soon after his mar- 
riage lie set out to make his own wav in life. 
His brother, .Xndrew, had also learned the 
shoemaker's trade from his father; he inher- 
ited his father's farm, which he in turn left to 
his widow and son, but Joseph was diflferentiy 
situated. He built a most humble home on 
West street in Fair Haven, and started into 



business for himself. He built up a good 
business ami soon removed into the village. 
He employed many hands, journeymen and 
apprentices: his trade increased and became 
profitable. He manufactured ladies' fine 
shoes and supplied a large wholesale trade, 
his goods gaining a wide reputation and sell- 
ing rapidly. Finally his friend, John J. Hum- 
phrey, induced Mr. Adams to dispose of his 
property in Fair Haven and remove to Racine, 
Wisconsin. After remaining at the latter 
place one year, he returned to Fair Haven. In 
the spring of 1845. 'i*^- '" company with ^^'il- 
liam C. Kittridge and Alonson .Vllen, began 
building a mill for sawing marble from the 
Rutland quarries. Mr. Allen was also inter- 
ested in the dex-elopment of his slate indus- 
tries, and Mr. Kittridge soon withdrew. Thus 
the management of the marlile business fell 
entire!}- upon Mr. Adams. But much of the 
marble sawed proved vmsound and the ex- 
pense and outlay was large. It was only by 
close and untiring industry and a heroic strug- 
gle against difficulties that the enterprise was 
saved from disaster and finally became a pay- 
ing business. The fine marble residence or 
mansion, now the home of A. N. Adams, was 
commenced by his father in the spring of 
i860 and completed in the fall of 1861. 

Joseph .\(lanis \\;is ])rominently identified 
with the ])rosperity and business life of Fair 
Haven for many years. He served as justice 
of the peace and in many other of^ces. He 
was elected to the legislature in 1854 and re- 
elected in 1855, and took an active part in 
its sessions. He was the prime mover in es- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



33 



tablishing the First National Bank of Fair 
Haven, of wliicii he was a director. Later he 
became president of the same and served as 
such until his demise. He was a very public 
spirited man. In all the relations of life, he 
was regarded as a strictly honest and honor- 
able man ; he was frank and fearless. In busi- 
ness he was remarkable for his energy and 
tenacity of purpose, thereby insuring success 
where many would have failed or given up in 
despair. He had I)road, liberal views on the 
subject of religion. In politics, he was a 
Republican, but was a warm friend to the 
cause of temperance, and was looked upon as 
a social leader. 

Joseph Adams was especially fond of music 
and was himself a good violin player. Al- 
tliough economical in his style of living, he 
was kind of heart and generous to the poor. 
The people of Fair Haven will long cherish his 
memory. 

Andrew N. Adams received a primary edu- 
cation in the public schools of Fair Haven, 
which was supplemented by a college prepara- 
tory course in the Green Mountain Liberal 
Institute of South Woodstock, \^t., and in 
1848 he entered the Meadville Theological 
School. Spending two years there, he entered 
the Divinity School of Harvard Lhiiversity 
at Cambridge, Mass., in 1852, being gradu- 
ated in 1855. He then accepted a call to 
the pastorate of the First Parish church, 
Needham, Mass., being ordained there on No- 
vember 21, 1855. In i860, he retired from 
the ministry and returned to Fair Haven, en- 
gaging in mercantile pursuits with much suc- 



cess. Then, in company with his father and 
his brother-in-law, he engaged in sawing and 
manufacturing marble at Fair Haven in 1869, 
for the wholesale trade, and continued the 
business alone for a number of years after 
the death of his father and brother-in-law. 
The unqualified success of this business ven- 
ture has been noted above, and considerable 
credit is due to Andrew N. Adams, for he 
has e\er been an industrious and shrewd busi- 
ness man. 

Politically, Mr. Adams is a Republican, and 
has served in numerous official capacities. He 
was justice of the peace; town treasurer; a 
member of the school board ; director of the 
public library ; a trustee of the State Normal 
School at Castleton, Vt., since 1862, and pres- 
ident of the board since 1882; in 1884-1885, 
he represented the town of Fair Haven in the 
State Legislature ; and was a member of the 
State Senate and the joint committee on edu- 
cation during the year 1888-1889. The pres- 
ent efficient school system at Fair Haven is 
the fruit of our subject's efforts, and was or- 
ganized by an act of the legislature. He is a 
member of the New England Historical and 
Genealogical Society, and a member of the 
Masonic and ( )dd Fellows orders. 

On August I, 1855, Mr. Adams was united 
in marriage with Angis M. Phelps, a daughter 
of Erastus and Margaret (Hibbard) Phelps, 
born April 22, 1833. They became the pa- 
rents of the following children: Alice A., 
born April 20, 1857, married, October 15, 
1879, Horace B. Ellis, and they have three 
children, — George A., Edward A., and Stella 



34 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



D. ; Ada M., born in Fair Haven, \'l., Decem- 
ber 5, 1861, married Jolm T. T'owell on De- 
cember 30, 1885, — she died May 21, 1893, 
leaving two children, Margaret A., and Ray- 
mond A. ; Anna E., born in Fair Haven, Aug- 
ust 14, 1864, married George B. Jermyn, of 
Scranton, Pa., April 22, 1892, and they have a 
daughter, Margaret; Stella M., born in Fair 
Haven, October 6, 1866, married John T. 
Powell, September 16, 1896. 



7TA ROCKER J. CLIFT, the accommodat- 
l J| ing postmaster at Middletown Springs, 

^•" — '^Vermont, was born four miles north 
of that village, on his father's farm, October 
19, 1837. Mr. Clift obtained a fair educa- 
tion in the district school. Upon reaching 
his majority, he left home and went to White- 
hall, New York. He found employment on dif- 
ferent farms in that \icinity, for two or three 
years. Subsequently he returned home and 
worked on the home farm for three years. 
This farm of two hundred acres is still in the 
possession of tiie family. The father of the 
subject of this sketch settled upon it in 1838. 
January 1, 1861, Crocker J. Clift was united 
in marriage with Mary Jane Buxton, a daugh- 
ter of Luther and Samantha (Paris) Bu.xton. 
After his marriage, Mr. Clift continued to till 
the soil on the Clift farm, up to 1865. He 
then purchased the Michael Vail farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres, which he continued 
to cultivate for seventeen years. Selling out 
to advantage, he rented the Buxton farm, for 
a time. He then went to Middletown 



Springs, where he rented another farm, re- 
maining there until January, 1867, when he 
returned to the Buxton residence. 

December 12, 1885, Mr. Clift was appointed 
postmaster of Middletown Springs, by Presi- 
dent Cleveland. He has continued to hold 
that position of trust ever since. This fact 
is very complimentary to Mr. Clift, as he is 
a Democrat at the present time. His first 
vote was cast for Abraham Lincoln, for whom 
he voted at two elections. But in local con- 
tests Mr. Clift votes for the best man. Dur- 
ing the fourteen years he has been postmaster, 
he has served the people most acceptably. 
Mr. Clift is a Mason in high standing, being 
a Knight Templar. October 28, 1886, he 
was deprived of his wife, who died leaving two 
children, \Villiam B. and Edwin Buxton. Wil- 
liam B. Clift graduated from Middlebury Col- 
lege, Vermont. Later, he attended the Uni- 
versity at Xew York City, for three years. He 
is an Episcopalian rector, and at present has 
charge of a parish in Rantoul, Champaign 
county, Illinois. He has a wife and one son. 
lidwin Buxton Clift is also a graduate of Mid- 
dlebury College. He taught school for six 
years, and is now a student in the Homeo- 
pathic Medical College in Philadelphia, Penn- 
sylvania. His home is in Middlebury, Ver- 
mont, where he has a wife and a little daugh- 
ter, Helen Seymour, four years of age. 

Crocker J. Clift is a son of Nathaniel and 
Polly (Crocker) Clift, a grandson of Hezekiah 
and Lucy (Walton) Clift, a great-grandson of 
Amos and Mary (Coit) Clift, and a great- 
great-grandson of Sanuiel and Lydia (Dog- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



gett) Clift. The Clift genealogy can be traced 
back to Richard Warren CUft, who landed 
from the Mayflower. Samuel Clift was born 
October 22, 1709, and died August 22, 1794. 
In 1732, he was joined in marriage with Lydia 
Dagett, who was born in 1713, and died in 
1790. Their remains rest in the cemetery at 
Plainfield, Connecticut. 

Amos Clift was born September 20, 1737, 
and died July 29, 1806. His wife, who was 
Mary Coit before marriage, was born in 1737. 
They were married February 12, 1761, and 
had ten children. Amos Clift was a recruit- 
ing officer in the Revolutionary War, and held 
many positions of trust. Four of his sons 
were also in the army, one of whom was a 
major. His eldest son, Hezekiah, was the 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch. 

Hezekiah Clift was born in Bristol, Con- 
necticut, December 4, 1761. He died in Mid- 
dletown. Vermont, October 10, 1822. He en- 
listed in the 4th Connecticut Regiment, July 
5, 1780, as a private, and was honorably dis- 
charged from service, December 19, of the 
same year. He was united in marriage with 
Lucy Walton, who survived him many years. 
She died in 1866. They began life together 
in the woods, in the town of Middletown, 
Vermont, where they cleared a fine farm. 
They kept twenty-five cows, and made their 
cheese on Sunday morning before going to 
church. They were worthy and industrious 
people and became possessed of considerable 
means. They were members of the Congre- 
gational church. Their remains rest in the 
old cemetery at Middletown. They reared a 



large family of, perhaps, a dozen children, one 
of whom was Nathaniel Clift. 

Nathaniel Clift, father of Crocker J., was 
born April i, 1801. He died December 7, 
1875, when nearly seventy-five years old. He 
married Polly Crocker, who bore him twelve 
children. Polly was born April 10, 1 807, and 
died October 13, 1882, in her seventy-sixth 
year. Her marriage took place January 16, 
1829. She lost one son in infancy, and an- 
other, named Duane, at the age of two and a 
half years. The other children were: Alice 
Lucy, Sarah Eliza, Jane iMary, Henry RoUin, 
Crocker J., William \\'alton, Martha Emily, 
Antha AI., Charles Martin and Louise Eliza- 
beth. Alice Lucy is the widow Dye, of East 
Poultney. Sarah Eliza is the wife of Truman 
Lewis, of Orwell, Vermont. Jane Mary mar- 
ried Albert Clark. She died in Poultney, 
leaving one son and one daughter. William 
Walton resides in the West, — at Rapid City, 
South Dakota. Charles Martin is an exten- 
sive fruit grower in California, where he went 
in 1894. Louise Elizabeth died when 
eighteen years old. Antha M. is the wife of 
J. E. Buxton. Martha Emily married Dr. 
Deering, of Boone, Iowa. 

Henry Rollin Clift, brother of the subject 
of this sketch, and a prosperous farmer in 
Middletown, Vermont, was born two miles 
north of his present home, January 3, 1836. 
In 1838, his parents settled on the farm where 
Henry now resides, and where he has spent his 
whole life, with the exception of the first two 
vears. March 29, 1866, he was joined in 
matrinionv with Emeline Camp Ogden. Mrs. 



36 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Clift was born in Xewark, New Jersey, Sep- 
temtier 12, 1842, and died June 4, 1895. She 
was survived by ten of her eleven children. 
Harry Rollin, the eighth child, died at the age 
of three years. The others are : Sarah Es- 
telle, Myron Leonard, Charles Eugene, Jessie 
Hammond. Edith May, Arthur Ogdcn, Alice 
Louise, Walter Nathaniel, Erank Douglas, 
and .\ntlia Eulalia. 

.Sarah Estelle is the wife of William S. Gray. 
They have two sons. Myron Leonard, with 
h.is wife and two daughters, resides in Irving- 
ton, New Jersey. Charles Eugene graduated 
from Brown University and is a resident of 
New Bedford, Massachusetts. Jessie Ham- 
mond married Walter A. Wills of Irvington, 
New Jersey. Edith May is a young lady, at 
home ; she has taught school for a couple 
of years. Arthur ( jgden is a student in Brown 
University, — a member of the class of 1901. 
Alice Louise, Walter Nathaniel, Frank Doug- 
las and Antha Eulalia are all young people, 
at home, the youngest being a "miss," of thir- 
teen years. 

' Henry Rollin Clift enlisted in the Union 
army at Auburn. New York. He entered 
service as a private in Company G, iiith 
Reg., New York Vol. Infantry. He was 
wounded on July 3, 1863, at the battle of Get- 
tysburg. The ball struck him in the right 
hand and came out above the elbow. This 
piece of lead is still carefully preserved by Mr. 
Clift. At another time, a sjjcnt ball gave him 
a narrow escape. He was taken prisoner at 
Harper's Ferry, and was on parole in Chicago. 
Mr. Clift carries on general farming, and 



also keeps a dairy of from twenty to twenty- 
five cows. In politics, he is a Republican. 
He has served as school director several years, 
and represented the town in the State Legis- 
lature, in 1898. He is a member of the Bap- 
tist church, oi which he is a deacon. 




Y;,^! grace M. RUGGLES, a retired at- 
torney-at-law, residing in the pleasant 
old Ruggles mansion in the charm- 
ing village of Poultney, belongs to one of 
America's oldest families. He is a descend- 
ant of the early pilgrims of the New World 
who were the pure and true type of Puritans 
from England. 

The genealogy of our subject is traced l)ack 
to one Thomas Ruggles, who lived in Sud- 
bury, Suffolk county, England. Records of 
that place show that his will was proven in 
1547; this fact shows him to ha\e been a man 
of property. Thomas Ruggles, a descendant 
of this first ancestor, was the first emigrant 
of the family to America. About 1637 he set- 
tled in Roxbury, Massachusetts, now a part of 
Boston, where his descendants liecame men 
of property and prominence. Thomas Rug- 
gles, the first progenitor, left a small landed 
estate in Sudbury, and there is still in England 
a family of his direct descendants. 

Horace M. Ruggles was born in Hampton, 
New York, about se\enty-two years ago. He 
was reared in Poultney from early childhood. 
He is a son of Henry J. and Phoebe (Mallary) 
Ruggles, and grandson of Seth and Susan- 
nah (Jenks) Ruggles, of Boston. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



37 



Seth Ruggles was born in Hardwick, Mas- 
sachusetts, in 1757. Although still a young 
man, he was a non-commissioned officer in 
the army of the Revolution. He marched to 
Saratoga with his company of minute men but 
arrived there too late to participate in 
the battle. He was a farmer and mar- 
ried Susannah Jenks of Boston. Her 
brother, Rev. William Jenks, was a man 
of high intellectual attainments. He was 
a genealogist of note, and traced the 
history of this branch of the Ruggles family. 
Seth Ruggles and his wife reared five sons 
and one daughter; all of the children married 
except the daughter. Our subject's grand- 
mother died at about the age of seventy years. 
She was survived by her husband until he 
reached the good old age of eighty-nine. They 
rest in the East Poultney cemetery. 

Henry J. Ruggles, the father of our subject, 
was born in Hardwick, Worcester county, 
Massachusetts, in 1795. In 1826 he was 
united in marriage with Phoebe Mallary, a 
daughter of Daniel Mallary and his wife, who 
was a Miss Atwater before marriage. The 
Atwaters emigrated from England to Con- 
necticut about the middle of the seventeenth 
century. Thus it will be seen that our sub- 
ject is descended from Puritan stock on both 
sides of the family. His ancestors came from 
both Essex and Suffolk counties, England. 
Henry J. Ruggles was an iron manufacturer of 
Poultney, where the most of his life was spent. 
He owned a foundry, and machine shop, and 
did a large business ; stoves were the leading 
products of the foundry. He also manufac- 



tured mill machinery, — for saw mills, grist 
mills, and slate mills. Henry J. Ruggles died 
in 1869, and was survived by his widow until 
1890; both were buried in Poultney. They 
had four children, of whom one son, Charles, 
died in infancy. 

Horace M. Ruggles was educated at Union 
College, Schenectady, New York, from which 
he graduated in 1847. He read law in New 
York State and was admitted to the bar in 
Albany, in 1849. He began to practice in 
New York City, under the firm name of Starr 
& Ruggles. Mr. Starr's health failed twenty 
years ago but Mr. Ruggles continued to prac- 
tice under the same name, for many years. 
He retired however some years ago. 

Mr. Ruggles voted for General Taylor and 
has been a Republican ever since the party 
came into existence. In 1867 he was joined 
in matrimony with Virginia Stevens of Wash- 
ington, District of Columbia. She was a 
daughter of Commodore Thomas H. Stevens. 
U. S. Navy. Mrs. Ruggles died in February, 
1 89 1, at the age of sixty years, in New York 
at the city residence of our subject on 57th 
street. After the death of his wife, Mr. Rug- 
gles sold his city residence and retired to the 
old home in Poultney, built by the father sixty 
years ago. 

Henry Ruggles, brother of our subjeci, suc- 
ceeded to his father's business, but never mar- 
ried. He died at the old Ruggles mansion 
in 1897. He was the most prominent busi- 
ness man of the village. Although he left 
no posterity to perpetuate his name or liis 
noble traits of character, yet he left a good 



38 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



name and lived a life worthy of emulation in 
many respects. He was a safe and successful 
business man. He was modest, quiet, unob- 
trusive in his manner. He employed many 
men in his business; to them and to his faith- 
ful domestics, he was most considerate; he 
kept the good and faithful ones to the years of 
old age or infirmity, and even then he pen- 
sioned them. Probably no man in Poultney 
lived and died with a better reputation. He 
was a man whom few said aught against. Un- 
like many sordid ones who live for the wealt^i 
they can gain, he lived for the good he could 
do, and no citizen of Poultney was ever more 
sincerelv lamented. 




f ENRY A. H.'XRMAN, one of the 
prominent and progressive citizens of 
Rutland, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, is a member of the legal profession, and 
for many years enjoyed a large practice ; but 
at the present time, he serves in the official 
capacity of clerk of Rutland county. He is 
a son of George \V. and Laura A. (Penfield) 
Harman, and was born in Pawlet, May 6, 
1845. His father and grandfather, both of 
whom attained reputations as attorneys-at- 
law, were natives of Pawlet. 

The subject of this sketch received his early 
education in the public schools of Benning- 
ton, Vt., to which place his parents had re- 
moved in 1848, and then took a private course 
of study. He subsequently attended the Burr 
and Burton Seminary for a short time, and I tances in Rutland. 



still later, Williams College, from which he 
was graduated in the year 1867. He after- 
wards entered the law department of Harvard 
University, and received the degree of LL. B., 
in 1871. January 27, 1871, he was admitted 
to the Massachusetts bar at East Cambridge, 
Mass., and soon thereafter entered upon the 
practice of his profession at Bennington, \'er- 
mont. There he formed a partnership with 
Hon. A. B. Gardner, the firm-name being 
Gardner & Harman, which continued until the 
decease of Lieut. -Gov. Gardner, in 1881. 
Three years later, Mr. Harman moved to Rut- 
land, where he practiced law until 1893, when 
he was appointed to succeed Hon. John Howe, 
as clerk of Rutland county, a position which 
he has since held. In addition to his many 
business cares, he has devoted considerable 
attention to public education, and, from 1895, 
represented the Sixth ward of the city of 
Rutland on the board of school commission- 
ers, until he resigned in 1899. He is one of 
the deacons of the Congregational church, in 
the city of Rutland. He is a man of high 
character and enjoys the highest respect of his 
friends and fellow-citizens, to all of whom 
he is well-known. 

Mr. Harman married Miss Ellen M. Brom- 
ley, of Castleton, \^ermont, January 12, 1876, 
who died January 12, 1893, being survived by 
her husband and five children. November 24, 
1896, he formed a second union, with Miss 
Jean F. Woodward, of Lowell, Mass., a 
woman of most estimable character, who en- 
joys the friendship of a large circle of acquain- 




ADDISON GARDNER STONE. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



41 




■DDISON GARDNER STONE, a 
well-known lawyer of the Vermont bar, 
whose portrait is shown on the op- 
posite page, is actively engaged in the prac- 
tice of his chosen profession at Wallingford, 
Vermont. He was born in Albion, Orleans 
county, New York, March i6, 1849. Mr. 
Stone received his primary education in his 
native place. Later, he took a classical and 
law course at Georgetown College in Wash- 
ington, D. C. He graduated with high hon- 
ors from that institution in the class of 1875. 
In June of the same year, he was admitted to 
the bar of the Supreme Court of the District 
of Columbia. Opening an office, he practiced 
there for one year. In 1876, he went to Sav- 
annah, Ga., and began practice in that place. 
He took yellow fever, however, and after his 
recovery came north to Vermont, practicing 
three years in this state. The five years fol- 
lowing, he practiced in Richmond, Michigan. 
While there, he was elected county court com- 
missioner. He was the first Republican ever 
elected to fill that office. He served two 
years. In 1884, Mr. Stone returned to Ver- 
mont, and located in Wallingford, where he 
has remained ever since. He is the only at- 
torney in the town and has been quite suc- 
cessful as a lawyer. He is popular in the 
community and is very active in municipal 
afifairs. 

He was united in marriage with Lucretia 
M. Kent, a daughter of Elias W. and Sarah 
Kent. Mrs. Stone was born in Wallingford, 
Vermont, March 31, 1850, and has always 



lived there, except the years spent in the above 
mentioned places with Mr. Stone. She was 
educated in the Brattleboro and Burhngton 
seminaries. 

George H. Stone, father of our subject, was 
also a native of Albion, Orleans county. New 
York. He was born January 17, 181 7, and 
died December 28, 1849. He started upon 
his career with only limited opportunities but 
with a determined notion to succeed. He was 
self-educated. He succeeded in obtaining a 
position as clerk in a country store and fol- 
lowed that occupation for a while, at the 
same time making a beginning in the study of 
law. He was successful in being admitted to 
the bar and became a law partner of Sanford 
E. Church and Noah Davis. He followed 
his chosen profession for the balance of his 
life and made an enviable record for himself. 
Unfortunately, he died while still a young 
man, but not before he had distinguished him- 
self in his chosen calling. He was the last 
man to hold the honorable position of vice- 
chancellor in the state of New York. He 
was also the youngest man that ever filled 
that office. After his last term, the office was 
abolished. His career, so full of brilliant prom- 
ise, was cut olT by death, caused by exposure 
and hard work. 

George H. Stone was united in marriage 
with Melinda Farewell, a daughter of David 
and Sarah Farewell. Mrs. Stone was a na- 
tive of Findlay, Ohio. Five children were 
born to her and her husband, as follows : War- 
ren C, an attorney; George H., a physician; 
William F., a traveling salesman; Julia C, 



42 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



who died in infancy; and Addison Gardner, 
subject of these hnes. 

The first member of the Stone family to 
come to America was Simon Stone, the first, 
who was born in 1585. With his wife, Joan or 
Jane, and four children, he left Ipswich, Eng- 
land. He was accompanied by his brother, 
Gregory, and family. They sailed in the ship 
Increase and laiuled in New England, settling 
in \\'atertown. Massachusetts. Simon was 
then fifty years old and his wife was thirty- 
eight. Simon Stone was admitted a freeman 
and was chosen selectman, serving seven 
terms. He was a deacon of the church. His 
first wife having died, his second marriage 
was contracted with Mrs. Sarah Lumpkin, 
widow of Richard Lumpkin. She was a native 
of Boxstead, Essex county, England. The 
next in line of descenf to our subject was 
Simon, the second. 

Simon Stone, the second, was born in Eng- 
land, in 1 63 1. He was an aljJe farmer. He 
served many times as town clerk and select- 
man, of Watertown, Massachusetts. He also 
represented that town in the assembly for ten 
years. He was a prominent man, and num- 
erous documents still exist that testify to his 
worth, activity, and usefulness. He married 
Mary (Whipple) Barry. Their son, Simon, 
the third, was born in 1656. He was a cele- 
brated Indian fighter. He was, also, a deacon 
at Groton, Massachusetts. He married Sarah 

. Their son. Simon, the fourth, was 

born at Groton, Massachusetts, in 1692. He 

married Sarah . The next in line of 

descent was Elias Stone, Sr. He was born 



at Groton, Massachusetts, April 2, 1728, and 
later removed to Harvard, Massachusetts. He 
married Sarah . He, also, was an ac- 
tive Indian fighter. 

Elias Stone, Jr.. was born in Hansard, Mas- 
sachusetts, October 3, 1757. He lived at var- 
ious times in Sunderland, Conway, and Deer- 
field. He served in the Revolutionary War 
under Capt. .\masa Sheldon, Capt. Joseph 
Stebbins, Capt. Jonas Lock, and Capt. Syl- 
vanus Rice. In the Massachusetts Archives, 
Revolutionary Rolls, the receipts for moneys 
paid him, while in the four companies, are in 
a good state of preservation. He married 
Sarah (Bodman) .\rms. Their son, Solomon, 
was the grandfather of our subject. Solomon 
Stone was twice married. His first wife was 
Martha Stanton (Clark). She bore her hus- 
band two children, Mary and Susan, — the lat- 
ter died at the age of two years. The mother 
of these children died in Stanton, and their 
father again married. This time he was united 
with Betsey Bradley, who was born March 19, 
1792. This second union resulted in the birth 
of thirteen children, namely: George I'l., 
father of our subject ; Louisa ; Amos ; Helen 
L. ; Martha; Solomon William; Sanford Ma- 
rion ; Elias ; Sylvester Amos ; Orson ; Eliza- 
beth ; Wheeler Hawks ; and one who died in 
infancy. 

Addison Gardner Stone is a Republican; at 
one time he was chief clerk in the engineer 
department at Washington, D. C. He has 
been presiding officer of the town of Walling- 
ford for twelve years; was a member of the 
Vermont Legislature, in 1894; and served five 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



43 



terms as town attorney and numerous terms 
as lister, etc. He is a member of Protection 
Lodge No. 2427, K. of H., and is now fill- 
ing the pf^ce of grand dictator in the grand 
lodge. He is also a member of Chipman 
Lodge, No. 52, F. & A. M., and of Shikanah 
Consistory, No. 4, Brooklyn, N. Y. 




ENONI GRIFFIN. The oldest resi- 
dent of the town of Sudbury, Rut- 
land county, Vermont, and the oldest 
and, for his years, the best preserved, man in 
that portion of the state, is Benoni Griffin, 
the subject of this biographical record. Mr. 
Griftin, who is a farmer in Sudbury, with post- 
office address at Brandon, first saw the light 
of day more than ninety years ago, — the date 
of his birth being March 26, i8og. 

He is a son of Benoni Griffin, who was born 
about the year 1764, in Simsbury, Conn., near 
the copper mine which his maternal grand- 
father subsequently owned. He went first to 
Windham county, \'t., and for a time he lived 
in Whitingham, Yt., and was married to Abi- 
gail Ray, of Wilmington, \'t., whose family 
were early settlers in the state. They had five 
children, viz. : ^Milton ; Alanson : Sophia ; Am- 
marilla, and Benoni. 

Milton died unmarried, in Sudbury, aged 
about thirty years. Alanson was for some 
years a sailor, but married and settled here as 
a farmer. He learned the shoemaker's trade 
and, afterward, the blacksmith's trade, which 
latter occupation he followed in Sudbury for 
many 3-ears, on the site where his stone shop 



still stands, vacant and silent. He died in mid- 
dle life, leaving a family of three children. 
Sophia married Samuel St. Johns and settled 
near Janesville. \\'isconsin, where her hus- 
band took up about seven hundred acres of 
land, to the vicinity of which the subject of 
this sketch, at one time, contemplated going. 
Mrs. St. Johns reared four children and 
died in middle life. Ammarilla married, first, 
Lsaac Ketchum, and second, Tehan Doan. She 
had no children, but lived to be an octoge- 
narian. 

Benoni, the fifth child, is the subject of this 
sketch. His mother died in 181 1 or 1812. 
His father married again, wedding, in this in- 
stance, a Miss Foster, and having by her six 
children, one of whom a daughter, Mahalah, 
is living at Rochester, Minn., the wife of 
Frank Reed. 

The Griffin homestead is one of the historic 
spots of Vermont. Here the Indians had a 
settlement, and the ruins of old Fort Ticon- 
deroga in the state of New York, are near by. 
The first white settler in this locality was Tim- 
othy Miller, the grandfather of Mr. Griffin's 
wife. Mr. Griffin's father came to this farm 
in 1798 or 1799. \\'ith a very humble start, 
he and his worthy wife accjuired a good 
property, amounting to two hundred 
and fifty acres of land. They were 
Congregationalists, — Mr. Griffin's mother 
being very active and benevolent hi 
her church relations. She was in every 
sense of the term, a noble woman. His father 
lived for a while at Castleton (where one of 
his three children were born). When 



44 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



seventy-seven years old, he passed from this 
world, having been paralyzed for the last year 
and a half of his life. His second wife went 
to Wisconsin, where she died when more than 
eighty years old. 

The suhject of this sketch has spent his 
entire life on the Sudhury farm. At the age 
of si.xteen years, tlif whole responsibility of 
the care of the farm and family devolved on 
him, by reason of the disability of his father 
tlirongh rheumatism. 

Air. (irilhii was married, in 1S42, to Sarah 
\\". Alillcr, who was born March 29, 1820. 
This unit)n had the following issue: La Roy 
S. ; Edna S. ; Florence; Ella; Ernest B. ; Rolla 
C. ; Mary A.; Martha Annette; and Irwin D. 
La Roy S. was born August 29, 1844, and is 
now a resident of Fair Ha\-en, \'t., where he 
has three sons. Edna S. was born in 1846, 
and died December 20, 1850. Florence was 
bcrn September 5, 1849, became the wife of 
Oscar Morehouse, and died, childless, Sep- 
tember 28, 1891. Ella was born September 
6, 1851. was married {0 Erastus C. Spooner, 
and has four children. They are substantial 
farmers in .Sudbury. Ernest B. was born 
Soptcnd)er 13. 1853, and died April 9, 1859. 
Ivolla C. was born October 27, 1855, married 
Agnes G. Felton, and lives on the homestead 
faim. They have two little sons. The 
mother has also a daughter, Luella A., by her 
first husband. Frank A. Ketclium. Mary 
A. is a young lady living at home on 
ht;r father's farm. .Martha Annette died 
October 31, 1878, when eighteen years old. 
Irwin D. died, aged one year, in 1865. The 



mother of this family died May i, 1889, at the 
age of sixty-nine years. 

Politically, Mr. Griffin is a Republican, and 
served one term in the lower branch of the 
Vermont Legislature, in 1880- 1881. lie de- 
clined a nomination for the State Senate. He 
has belonged to the Alethodist church for 
many years, being the oldest member in Bran- 
don, and has been a steward and trustee. 
When he first united with the church, this 
was a circuit, and he has maintained his mem- 
bership therein for more than sixty years. 

Politically, the subject of this biographv 
has rendered his share of ser\ice in the various 
town offices, acting in a public caixicity until 
he declined to serve longer. He was for many 
N'ears first selectman, and during the Civil 
War, as such official, disbursed more than 
$13,000. He was recruiting officer of the 
township. 

'Sir. Griffin's farm contains more than two 
hundred acres, anil he has, besides, two de- 
tached pieces of fifty acres each, in Sudburv 
and Brandon. His husbandry has been of a 
mi.xed description, and he has made monev 
in slock dealing. He has been a liard worker, 
anil has maintained strict rectitude of habits. 
He served as a lieutenant in the state militia. 
Mr. Griffin's daughter Florence, who was, as 
before mentioned, the wife of Dr. O. H. More- 
house, of Fair Haven. \'t.. was fifty-two years 
old at the time of her death. 

Mrs. Griffin was a wortliv wife and mother. 
She was a woman of more than ordinary al)il- 
ity, and was always ready to lend a helping 
hand in time of sickness or trouble. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



45 



T^OLONEL ENDEARING D. JOHN- 
l J| SON is one of the owners and pro- 

^ ^ prietors of the Bomoseen club 

house. This club house has been a popular 
resort since 1877, and is the pioneer house 
of entertainment for the city boarders. This 
beautiful place comprises one of the best 
farms at the head of the lake, and is one of 
the most charming and enchanting spots in 
the state of Vermont. The upper part of 
the beautiful lake is by far the most pictur- 
esque. This farm embraces some nine hun- 
dred acres, and has a lake frontage of one 
and a half miles. It is the property of Col. 
E. D. Johnson and his brother, D. T. Johnson. 

The subject of this sketch has been a con- 
stable and notary public for twenty years. He 
is colonel of the Johnson Lake Bomoseen 
Club. He carries on general farming, be- 
sides which he raises some fine blooded Hol- 
stein cattle and Merino sheep. Col. Endear- 
ing D. Johnson was born on the farn\ which 
is still his home, June 12, 1841, in the old 
house, which is now about one hundred years 
old. He is a son of Lyman and Maloney 
(Eaton) Johnson, grandson of Endearing and 
Martha (Scott) Johnson, and great-grandson 
of John Johnson. 

John Johnson left his home in Connecticut 
and went to Rutland, Vermont, in 1761. After 
a brief stay, he went back to Connecticut, but 
subsequently returned, and located in Rut- 
land. He reared nine children, one of whom 
was Endearing, Col. Johnson's grandfather. 

Endearing Johnson was born in Connecti- 
cut, but had the distinction of beinsj the first 



settler in Castleton. He went there with his 
ox team, via the old Charleston road. No. 4, 
and settled in the woods. He was twice mar- 
ried. His marriage with Martha Scott re- 
sulted in the birth of the following four chil- 
dren: Lyman, father of the subject hereof; 
Hiram; Sperry ; and Sally. His second mar- 
riage was contracted with Nancy Eaton. His 
brother, Lyman Johnson, married a sister of 
Nancy. Her name was Maloney Eaton. This 
second union was the source of four sons, viz. : 
Oliver, Daniel, Charles, and Horace. Charles 
went to California, in 1852, where he still 
lives. He is now retired. Horace went to 
Colorado, in 1854, and is also retired. 

Col. Johnson's grandfather owned the 
town farm. About 1855, he sold out and went 
to Illinois, where he died, in his seventy-fifth 
year. Lyman Johnson, father of the subject 
hereof, was born Decembers, 1801, on the old 
Enos Merrill farm, in the town of Castleton, 
Vermont. In 1826, he was joined in mar- 
riage with Maloney Eaton, a winsome daugh- 
ter of Daniel and Lucy (Carter) Eaton. Ma- 
loney was a native of Scotland, and was 
brought to America when only eight years 
old. Two decanters brought over by her pa- 
rents are still in the possession of the subject 
of this sketch. 

Soon after marriage, Lyman Johnson set- 
tled in the old Endearing Johnson house, 
which is still standing. In 1826, he pur- 
chased a part of the farm occupied by the sub- 
ject hereof, but did not settle there until 1840. 
He built a part of the present large residence 
in 1873. Six years afterward, his beloved 



46 



BOOK' OF BIOGRAPHIES 



wife died in her eightieth year. Tliey were 
tlie parents of seven cliildren, as follows: 
Olivia, John F., Enoch E., Sarah, Endearing 
D., the subject of these lines, Daniel T., and 
Ilirani. 

Olivia died when hut six years old. Enoch 
E. was a colonel of the 2n<l Reg., \'ermont In- 
fantry, during the Civil War. At the battle of 
Cedar Creek he filled an emergency by com- 
manding a brigade of the 2nd Division, 6th 
Army Corps.. For this act he was brevetted 
colonel. Saraii was the wife of David B. Par- 
menter, of New York. Daniel T. is a joint 
owner with the subject hereof, of the fine old 
farm, before mentioned. Their two families 
reside there, and entertain their numerous 
guests in a royal manner. Hiram died in 
1879. when about thirty years old. He left 
a wife and two daughters. 

All the schooling which the subject of this 
sketch received was obtained before his 
twelfth year. He then worked upon the farm 
until his enlistment in the army during the 
Civil \\'ar. October 18, 1861, when seven- 
teen years old, he volunteered as a member 
of Company B", 2nd Reg., Vermont Infantry. 
Step by stc]) he rose from the ranks till he was 
second lieutenant on the staft' of his brot/ier. 
Col. Enoch E. Johnson. He served until the 
close of the war, and was honorably dis- 
charged from service. He is now drawing a 
pension from the go\ernment. 

Col. Endearing D. Johnson is a member of 
the G. A. R. In politics, he votes the Dem- 
ocratic tickets He married Eveline E. 
Graves. She was a daughter of Benjamin 



and Emily (Gorman) Graves. Mr. Graves 
was the pioneer plow manufacturer of Castle- 
ton, Vt. Mrs. Graves still lives at Castleton 
Corners. She is now in her seventy-fifth 
year, and has lost both her daughters. Mrs. 
Johnson died as recently as April 18, 1899. 
She left an only son, Frank W. He is twen- 
ty-four years old, and is still under the paren- 
tal roof. He is an expert machinist. 

The subject of this sketch became a master 
Mason, in 1863. He is a devout member 
of the M. E. church. The fine orchards on 
his place were planted by his father. 




'p^RS. SOPHIA WARD, residing on a 
splendid farm of two hundred acres, 
at East Poultney, \'ermont, is 
the widow of the late Charles P. Ward. 

Charles P. Ward was born on the same farm 
where the sulijcct of this sketch now resides, 
June 2-], 1813. He followed farming all his 
life and was highly esteemed and respected by 
all who knew him. In politics, he was a stanch 
Republican, and held many of the township 
offices. Like his honored ancestors, he was 
an active member of the Baptist church. His 
death occurred over twenty-seven years ago, 
on November 29, 1872. He was a son of \V'il- 
liam, Jr., and Anna (Spencer) Ward and 
grandson of Hon. William and Lucy (Church) 
Ward. 

Hon. William Ward was a man of great 
prominence and was extremely patriotic. 
December 11, 1763, he was united in mar- 
riage with Lucy Church, an estimable lady. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



47 



In November, 1775, Mr. Ward removed from 
New Marlboro, Massachusetts, to Poultney, 
Vermont, settling on the upper part of Fen- 
nel Hollow, where he followed agricultural 
pursuits until his death. This farm is still 
owned and occupied by his descendants. Hon. 
William Ward was one of a sturdy band of 
pioneer settlers who stoutly resisted the ad- 
vance of Burgoyne's army, and finally partic- 
ipated in its capture. In the meantime his 
wife and family were unprotected, and ex- 
posed to the ravages of the British. Mrs. 
Ward fled to Bennington, fifty miles away, 
through the wilderness. With her children 
she walked the whole distance and carried the 
baby in her arms. She reached her destina- 
tion safely and remained there until after Bur- 
goyne's surrender, at Saratoga, when, with her 
husband, she returned to New Marlboro, 
where they remained until the following win- 
ter, when they returned to Poultney, Vt., 
January 28, 1778, using an ox team to convey 
them. 

William Ward was a member of the con- 
vention which formed the constitution of the 
state of Vermont. He was judge of Rutland 
county, six years ; he was the first probate 
judge of the district of Fair Haven, which 
ofifice he held for twenty-two years ; he was 
justice of the peace for forty years. He was 
the first representative of the town in the state 
legislature, and held the same ofifice several 
times afterward. He was a deacon of the 
Baptist church for nearly forty years. He 
was a man of remarkable vigor and health, 
and never lost a meal from -sickness nor was 



confined to his bed until the Friday before his 
death, on August 3, 1819, at the age of sev- 
enty-six years. 

As a citizen, a Christian, and as an officer 
of the law, this grand man was upright, and 
true to every trust in both public and private 
life. His widow died January 6, 1846, at the 
verv advanced age of ninety-eight years. The 
subject of our sketch distinctly remembers 
knowing this aged lady three years before her 
death. She reared twelve children, — seven 
sons and five daughters. All married except 
one daughter, who died at four years of age. 

William Ward, Jr., was the sixth child, and 
third son, of his parents. He was born on his 
father's farm, February 28, 1778, and suc- 
ceeded to the ancestral acres, where he lived 
until his death. He was a good citizen, Sind 
held the confidence of the people of his town. 
He died October 11. 1850. He was twice 
married. His first union was with Anna 
Spencer, of Hartford, Connecticut. She bore 
him four sons and three daughters. 

The maiden name of the subject hereof was 
Sophia Sinclair. She was born in Gerry, Chau- 
tauqua county. New York, September 6, 1820. 
She is the eldest daughter of Samuel and Mar- 
tha (Bucklen) Sinclair. Her mother was a 
native of Vermont. Her father was born at 
Eaton, Madison county, New York. Their 
marriage took place in Gerry, where Mr. Sin- 
clair owned a farm. He was a skilled me- 
chanic and was a millwright, by trade. Six 
of his seven children grew to manhood and 
womanhood, — the eledest of whom is the sub- 
ject of these lines. The others are : Samuel, 



48 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Jr. ; a dau^rluer who died at tlie age of five 
years; Nancy; Major; Elislia Ward; and 
Martha Melissa. Samuel, Jr., went to New 
York City, when eigiiteen years old. He 
was the publisher of the New York Tribune, 
for some time. He was born in 1821, and 
died in 1893. At one time, he was quite 
wealthy. One married .son survives him and, 
also, one daughter, who is still single. Nancy 
married Isaiah Cobb. She died about 
1889, at Johnsonburg, Pa., leaving one child. 
Major settled on the homestead farm, in 
Gerry. Elisha Ward died in Belmont, near 
Denver, Colorado. Martha Melissa married 
T. B. Cobb, and now resides with her daugh- 
ter, at Westchester, Pennsylvania. Mrs. 
Ward is the mother of the following five chil- 
dren : Helen S. ; William Sinclair; Charles 
Winfield; Martha Luella; and Arthur B. 
Helen S. married William Hosford. She lost 
her husband, November 6, 1875. She was 
left with four children, and her own health 
was poor. She returned to Poultney, where 
she died December 12, 1880. William 
Sinclair was born September 9, 1849. 
He is a farmer in the town of Poult- 
ney, Vermont. Charles Winfield was born in 
1852, and died in infancy. Martha Luella mar- 
ried Dexter D. Day. of Ira, Vermont. She 
died January 21, 1891, and left two children. 
Arthur B. is a farmer. He resides on the an- 
cestral acres, with the subject of these lines. 
He was united in marriage with Hattie Fris- 
bie, of Poultney. They have a remarkably in- 
teresting family, consisting of seven children, 
namely: Elwyn Frisbie; William Arthur; 



Catherine Burnham ; James Frisbie; Gladys 
Myra; Harriet Sophia; and Arthur Baldwin. 
Their ages are respectively: thirteen, twelve, 
ten. nine, seven, five, and two, years. 

The subject of this sketch is a most worthy 
lady. She carries on general farming, and 
also keeps from twelve to twenty fine milch 
cows. 



ir\ AVID A. BARKER, the genial pro- 
l[ff) J prietor of the Valley House, at 
^""^""^ Middletown Springs, Vermont, is 
the only li\'eryman and horse speculator of 
that place. He is a man of rare tact and ability, 
is a fine horseman, and an excellent judge of 
horses. Mr. Barker is one of the busiest men 
in the village, and, probably, one of the great- 
est hustlers in Rutland county. He buys and 
sells more horses, in a year, and, doubtless, 
handles more, in a year, than any other man in 
Western \'ermont. He deals only in a good 
class of hor;:es. He has two stage routes and 
keeps his various teams busy in farming, when 
not otherwise in use. 

David A. Barker was born in Middletown 
Springs, March 30, i860. He is a son of 
.Augustus and Emily (Hyde) Barker, grand- 
son of Justus Barker, and great-grandson of 
Pittman and Lydia (Budd) Barker. Pittman 
Barker was an able farmer in Tinmouth, and, 
subsequently, in Castleton, \'ermont. He 
married Lydia liudd, of MicUlletown. Their 
son Justus, grandfather of David A., was the 
only one of a large family who remained in 
that vicinity. These ancestors all lie buried 




JOEL CLAKKK BAKER. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



51 



in the old cemetery at Middletown Springs. 
(For the ancestral line, see the sketch of 
Augustus Barker in this volume.) 

Augustus Barker, father of David A., was 
also a native of Middletown Springs. His 
marriage with Emily Hyde resulted in the 
birth of two sons and three daughters. David 
A. Barker was reared to farm life and labor, 
and was mentally trained in the district 
sciiools, with a finishing course at Castleton. 

Soon after reaching his majority, David 
A. Barker started out on his career, by farm- 
ing rented land. In 1887, engaged in the 
livery business at Middletown Springs. 
In 1894, he purchased the Valley House and 
erected two large stables, with a capacity for 
accrmmodating thirty-fi\-e horses, and stor- 
age for his large stock of wagons, of which he 
sells some two hundred per year. He then 
began buying and selling horses also, — which 
business has grown to extensive proportions. 
He employs from ten to fifteen drivers in his 
livery, and with his team horses and dealing 
horses, often has as high as thirty-five em- 
ployees at one time. 

The Valley House is amply spacious to sup- 
ply the wants of the traveling public. It is 
the only hotel in the village, except the Sum- 
mer Resort. The village drug store is situ- 
ated in the building. Over the carriage house, 
Mr. Barker has a very pleasant and commo- 
dious public hall, with appropriate staging, 
curtains, etc., for entertainment purposes. 

For so young a man it is hard to find the 
equal of the subject of this sketch in either 
business qualifications, or the ability to man- 



age so quietly and smoothly the number of 
men employed by him. He has already accu- 
mulated a handsome property. October 17, 
1882, Mr. Barker was joined in wedlock with 
Antha S. Mehuron, only daughter of Reuben 
and Hannah (Norton) Mehuron. Mrs. Bar- 
ker's father is now deceased. Her mother is 
still living, and resides at the home of the 
subject of this sketch. Mrs. Barker also has 
one brother, Clark Mehuron, in the town of 
Ira, Vermont. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Barker has been born one 
child, Elroy A., the date of whose birth is 
June 14, 1892. Mr. Barker has done more to 
establish good roads in his town than any 
one else, and his efforts in that direction are 
appreciated. He is a Republican in politics, 
and is serving his fourth term as road commis- 
sioner. He has also served four years as select- 
man, and has officiated as lister, representa- 
tive, etc. He was treasurer of the old cheese 
factory company and is superintendent and 
manager of the new cheese comparty. In 
fraternal circles, Mr. Barker is a Mason of 
high degree. He is a member of the Com- 
mandery, and is also a Shriner. 



OEL CLARKE BAKER, whose life has 
been one of the most stirring activity, 
is a prominent member of the Rutland 
county bar, and is a veteran of the Civil War, 
during the greater part of which he served. 
A descendant of sturdy Scotch ancestry, he 
is a son of Edia and Seleucia A. (Davenport) 



52 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Baker, and was born in Danl)y, \'erniont, 
April 1 6, 1838. 

Mr. Baker received his early education in 
the public schools of Danby and Wallingford, 
and in 1858 took up the advanced studies of 
Latin and Greek under the tutelage of Philip 
H. Emerson, continuing for two years. He 
determined upon a professional career and in 
1859 entered upon the study of law in the 
office of Spencer Green, of Danby, but he sub- 
sequently changed to the law office of David 
E. Nicholson, of Wallingford, where he re- 
mained uiuil 1862, when he was admitted to 
the bar of Rutland county. In 1862, he en- 
listed as a private in Company B, Ninth Reg- 
iment, Vermont Volunteers, but was mus- 
tered into the service as a sergeant. He was 
promoted successively to the grades of first 
sergeant, second and first lieutenant, and cap- 
tain. He was at the surrender of Harper's 
Ferry and was sent as a paroled prisoner to 
Camp Douglas at Chicago, where he remained 
until his exchange was effected on January 9, 
1863. afterwards serving as guard over five or 
six thousand Rebel prisoners. He then re- 
turned to active service at the front and partic- 
ipated in many battles and skirmishes of im- 
portance, being with the Arm)- of the James in 
the engagements at Chapin's Farm and Fair 
Oaks, and in the capture of Richmond. He 
was among the first to enter the capital of the 
Confederacy when it was taken, and had the 
distinction of pulling down with his own hands 
the Rebel flag which floated over Jeffer- 
son Davis' home, and this he took away with 
him, While he was in North Carolina, Con- 



gress organized a system of courts known as 
provost courts, and in these our subject had 
considerable jiractice. After his return 
from service he practiced law at Wallingford 
until 1 808, and from i86g to 1873 held the 
position of editor of the "Rutland Herald." 
Since 1869 he has made his residence in Rut- 
land. He resumed his law practice and estab- 
lished a wide reputation both in civil and 
criminal cases, having conducted a number of 
celebrated cases in Rutland and Bennington 
counties. He has also practiced in the Fourth 
Judicial District in New York, and before the 
United States Circuit and Supreme courts. 
He has important real estate holdings in Rut- 
land, and is interested in numerous business 
enterprises, among them being the Clement 
National Bank ; the Howe Scale Company ; 
and the P. E. Chase Manufacturing Com- 
pany, in all of which he is a director. He 
has lieen superintendent of schools and grand 
juror of the towns of Wallingford and Rut- 
land, also register of probate and deputy 
county clerk. 

Mr. Baker is a Republican in political affil- 
iations, and has served that party in a most 
commendable maimer in different capacities. 
He was elected to the State Senate in 1886, 
and served on the committees on judiciary, 
railways and the insane. He was county aud- 
itor two years and also served as city attorney 
for a time. He is a member of the F. & A. M., 
having been junior and senior warden of Chip- 
man Lodge, No. 52, with which he was first 
connected, but he is now with Center Lodge, 
No. 34. He belongs to Rutland Royal Ar- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



53 



canum and the Benevolent and Protective 
Order of Elks, and is also interested in the 
Young Men's Christian Association. He is 
a member of the Military Order of the Loyal 
Legion and a comrade of the Grand Armv of 
the Republic. Religiously, he is an Episco- 
palian. 

On October 8, 1866, Mr. Baker was united 
in marriage with Ada O. Howe, a daughter of 
Luther P. and Mary A. (Rounds) Howe, of 
Mount Tabor, and they are the parents of 
one daughter, Mabel. The publishers of this 
work present a portrait of Mr. Baker on a 
foregoing page. 




■ENRY FREEMAN WALKER, M 
D., is a resident of New York 
City, but, with a love born of early 
associations, has always shown a preference 
for his boyhood's village, Pittsford, Ver- 
mont, where he still maintains the old 
family homestead and interests himself in 
the development and improvement of the 
town. .\ man of attainments, a result of con- 
tinuous study and a superior natural intellect, 
lie has achieved a wide reputation in the medi- 
cal profession, and is classed among the fore- 
most practitioners of New York City. 

The Walker family was established in this 
country, as early as the year 1630, by Richard 
Walker of England. From him, through eight 
generations. Dr. Walker traces his descent, as 
follows: Samuel; Samuel, Jr., of Woburn. 
Mass. ; John, of Weston, Mass. ; Nathaniel, of 
Sturbridge, Mass. ; Phineas, who located at 



\\'oodstock. Conn., and was a soldier of the 
French and Indian and Re\-olutionary wars; 
Leonard ; and Charles. Leonard Walker, the 
grandfather of our subject, was born in Wood- 
stock, Conn., in 1766, and in 1790 was united 
in marriage with Chloe Child, a daughter of 
Elisha Child, of Woodstock, by whom he had 
thirteen chiklren, the oldest of whom was 
Charles. Li the spring of 1797, four children 
being then born, they removed from Wood- 
stock to StrafTord, Vermont. 

Charles Walker, the father of our subject, 
was born in Woodstock, Conn., February 2, 
179T, and attained his majority in Strafford, 
Vermont. Upon reaching manhood he started 
out for himself; walking to Woodstock, 
Conn., he there found employment in a wool- 
en mill, in which he worked for a period of 
four years. At about that time he was one 
of those awakened in a revival meeting, and, 
casting aside the bright prospects of business 
which had opened to him, he decided thence- 
forth to devote himself to the work of Christ. 
By way of preparation he began study in a 
school at Cherry Valley, New York, and one 
year later entered the academy at Plainfield, 
where he was prepared for Dartmouth Col- 
lege. But by the advice of friends he altered 
his plans and entered the seminary at An- 
dover, Mass., from which he was graduated in 
September, 1821. He was licensed to preach 
by the Windham Association in Connecticut, 
in the same year, and was ordained by the 
Otsego Presbytery of Norwich, in February, 
1822. He was installed pastor of the Con- 
gregational church of Rutland, Vermont, 



54 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



January 2, 1823, wliere lie contimied liis min- 
isterial labors until IMarcli 13. 1S33, when a 
severe bronchial trouble com])elle(l liiin to re- 
sign. He si)ent the next year in travel in 
America. He then, in company with Profes- 
sor Clark, established a seminary for boys an:l' 
girls at Castleton. now a normal school, in 
which he taught for one year. Sufficiently 
recovering his \oice, he again entered the 
field of ministry, accepting a call to preach at 
Brattleboro, where he was installed January i, 
1835, his pastorate continuing there for over 
eleven years until February 11, 1846. He 
then assumed a charge at Pittsford on the sec- 
ond day of the following December, at a time 
when the church was in a state of great dis- 
order, caused by a case of church discipline 
and the dismissal of his predecessor. But 
under his careful guidance harmony was fullv 
restored, and during his eighteen and a half 
years of faithful work there, the nicni])ership 
was increased by eighty-four converts to the 
Christian faith. The Christian life he led in- 
fluenced the lives of others and he was rev- 
erenced by all with whom he came in contact. 
At his re(|uest. he was removed from his pas- 
torate, much to the regret of himself and his 
congregation, but he still retained his pleas- 
ant home in Pittsford, where he resided with 
his honored and esteemed companion in life, 
during the summer months, but his winters 
were spent at the homes of his children. He 
died at the house of his daughter, Mrs. Board- 
man, at Binghamton, X. Y.. November 28, 
1870, at the age of almost eighty years, and 
lies buried in the beautiful cemetery at Pitts- 



ford, at the dedication of which -he offered the 
consecrating prayer. Rev. Charles Walker 
was joined, September 22, 1823, in the bonds 
of wedlock with Lucretia Ambrose of Con- 
cord, X. H., a daughter of Stephen and Han- 
nali (Eastman) Ambrose, and they became the 
happy parents of six children, four of whom 
lived to maturity. A brief record of these 
follows : 

Anne Ambrose Walker, in 1854, was united 
in marriage with Rev. George Nye Boardnian. 
a gentleman who has won distinction as a 
minister and educator, but who has lived a re- 
tired life since 1893. His grandfather was 
Timothy Boardnian, who, born in 1754. was a 
prosperous farmer of Boardnian Hill, West 
Rutland, Rutland county, \'ermont. Tim- 
othy Boardnian was a soldier in tlie 
Revolutionary War and in 1783 left his na- 
tive town, ]\Iiddletown, Conn., and located in 
Rutland, \'erniont. He died in 1839. His 
wife was Mary \\ ard, of Middletown, Conn., 
and they reared a family of seven children, 
nearly all of whom lived to reach remark- 
abl\- old age. Samuel W. Boardnian, the 
father of Rev. George N. Boardnian, was 
born in Rutland, now West Rutland, at 
Boardnian Hill, .\o\ember 2y, 1789, and died 
on April 13, 1870. He was joined in marriage 
with Ann Gilbert, who was born in Oakham, 
Mass., but was brought to Pittsford by her 
parents at the age of six years. They were 
married in 1822, and reared four sons, three of 
whom received intellectual training and be- 
came men of influence, but the second son 
died at the age of nineteen years. Rev. George 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



55 



N. Boardman was born in Pittsford, Vermont, 
December 23, 1825, and was graduated from 
Middlebury College in 1S47. He subse- 
quently taugbt two years in his alma mater, 
and then studied at Andover Seminary a pe- 
riod of three years, after which he passed six 
years as professor in the former institution. 
During the subsequent twelve years he was 
a pastor in Binghamton, N. Y., and in 1871 
went to Chicago as a professor of theology in 
the Union Park Theological Seminary, a posi- 
tion he filled for twenty-two years, attaining 
a substantial reputation in that capacity. Upon 
his retirement, in 1893, he returned to the 
place of his nativity, Pittsford, where he re- 
sides a portion of the year, spending the rest 
of his time in New York City. Pittsford 
bears token of Mrs. Boardman's interest, in 
the arched stone bridge which spans Sugar 
Hollow Brook where it crosses the village 
street. 

George Leon Walker, the third child born 
to Rev. and Mrs. Charles Walker, who holds 
the degree of Doctor of Divinity, though not 
strong, physically, is an able minister, deeply 
devoted to his work. His first charge was 
in Portland, Maine, and later he accepted the 
pastorate of the First Congregational church 
of New Haven, Conn. ; after a twelve years' 
pastorate and two years' illness he accepted a 
call to the First Congregational church of 
Hartford, where he is now pastor emeritus. 

Stephen Ambrose Walker, deceased, was a 
well-known attorney-at-law of New York City. 
He was born in Brattleboro, Vermont. In 
1858 he graduated at Middlebury College, 



valedictorian of his class. He then taught 

school in Binghamton, N. Y., for three years, 
where he read law with Daniel S. Dickinson 
and was admitted to the bar. He then went 
into the army as paymaster and attained the 
rank of colonel. He en.gaged in practice in 
New York city for many years, first in the 
firm of Buckham & Smales, and was one of 
the trustees of the Tilden Trust. For ten 
years he was president of the board of educa- 
tion, and was United States district attorney 
during the first administration of President 
Cleveland. In Pittsford his influence and 
energy, more than anything else, led to the 
introduction of the unrivalled water supply. 
He died on February 3, 1893, and is buried 
in Pittsford Cemetery. To his memory, his 
brother Dr. H. F. Walker, has erected a me- 
morial building in Pittsford, which contains 
the public library and the town clerk's office. 
it is a well built structure of simple design 
made of Roman brick, with terra cotta trim- 
mings. 

Henry Freeman \\"alker, the subject of this 
biographical record, was born in Brattleboro, 
Vermont, July 3, 1838, and was educated at 
Middlebury College, graduating from that in- 
stitution in i860, with the salutatory appoint- 
ment. Afterward he taught in the academy at 
Jonesville, Saratoga county, N. Y., for three 
years, and then began to prepare for his, pro- 
fessional life in the Portland Medical School, 
continuing later in the Long Island Medical 
College in Brooklyn, and at the College of 
Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, 
where he was graduated in 1866. For nearly 



56 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



two years after his graduation, lie served as 
liouse ])liysioian in Bellcvne Hospital, New 
\'ork, and at the close of this service spent 
a slujrt ])eriod in jjrofessional observation and 
study in Europe. II is work has since been 
in New York City, where he has ac(|uired a 
large i)r;ictice. Dr. Walker has not been so 
conipleleK- engrossed in his profession as to 
e.xclnde all else, but having obtained a fair 
start he became interested in other matters 
and lias devoted considerable time to travel, 
iiaving visited most ])arts of the United States 
and many of the countries of Europe. He 
still spends nuich of his vacation time at the 
old Walker homesteail in I'ittslord, \'ermont, 
where he passeil his youthful days. His love 
for his early home is evidenced by the beauti- 
ful building which he erected in memory of 
his brother, and his furtherance of many pub- 
lic imj)ro\enients there. 1 )r. Walker is held 
in the highest esteem by Iiis fellow-citizens of 
Pittsford, to whom he is endeared not alone 
for the worthiness of his deeds, but by reason 
of the true friendship he bears them. 



(JASPER A. BENEDICT, a prosperous 
dairy farmer in the town of Poultney, 
A'ermont, settled on iiis splendid farm 
(jf two hundred and seventy-five acres, soon 
after being mustered out of ser\ice in the 
army, in 18^4. About one hundred acres of 
his land is imder cultivation. The remainder 
is utilized for pasturage. Mr. Benedict keeps 
from twenty-fi\e to thirty fine milch cows, 
and makes a business of selling cream to the 



Poultney creamerv. lie was l)orn in the town 
of Hubbardton, Rutland county, \'t., April 
21, 1838. He is a son of Johnson S. and 
Lucy Ann (Nichols) Benedict, and grandson 
of Alson and Eliza (Selleck) Benedict. His 
grandparents were married in Hubbardton, 
and had three sons: Johnson S., father of 
Jasper A.; RoUin C, a printer; and Seymour 
W., a sailor. RoUin C. became a man of 
prominence in journalistic circles, in Canada. 
He died when about seventy years old. 

Mr. Benedict's grandfather died in West- 
ern New York, early in his prime. He left 
his widow without means. But she was smart 
and industrious, and obtained good places 
for her boys. Some time later, she contracted 
a second marriage. She wedded Ira Selleck, 
— Selleck being also her maiden name. Her 
husbantl was her cousin. They reared a large 
family. Mrs. Selleck died in Salem, Wiscon- 
sin, an octogenarian, 

Johnson S. Benedict was a native of Hub- 
bardton, Vermont, where he was born, in 
1812. In January, 1837, his marriage with 
Lucy Ann Nichols occurred, and thev reared 
five of the nine children born to them. Of 
these, three onl\' sur\-i\c, namely : Luke N., 
M. Eliza and Jasper A., the subject hereof. 
The first named lives on the old farm. He 
married Lucy Watling; they have two chil- 
dren, Starr and Hazel, M. Eliza married V. 
Rich, of Richville, \'t. ; they had one son, 
Herbert, who died, aged ten years. For three 
years Mr. Benedict rented a farm in the town 
of Hubbardton, and he i)urchased land in the 
same town. Some time later he sold this farm, 



RUTLAND COUXTY 



57 



and purchased one in the town of Castleton, 
which also was profitably sold, a few years 
later. In this \vay, by buying and selling 
farms, Mr. Benedict olitained a good start. 
He next bought a farm in Xorth Britton, 
which lie sold in 1859, and removed to an- 
other farm in the town of Castleton. In his 
old age, he retired from farming, and spent 
his declining years in the village of Castleton. 
He dicil on his wife's birthday aimiversary, 
February 22, 1897. His widow still survives 
him and resides on the farm, with her son, 
Luke N. 

Mr. Benedict received a common schooling 
and remained at home until he attained his 
majority. June 20, 1861, he enlisted in the 
Union army, in the 2nd Reg., Vermont In- 
fantry, going into service as a corporal, and 
returning as acting sergeant major. He was 
wounded in the left arm during the battle of 
the Wilderness, and was honorably discharged 
from service, June 29, 1864, after serving- 
three years. Mr. Benedict assumed the obli- 
gations of married life by wedding Sarah Par- 
sons. This happy event transpired July 14. 
1864, and was the scene of a merry gathering. 
Mrs. Benedict is a native of the town of Hub- 
bardton, Vermont, where she was born, Feb- 
ruary 5, 1840. She is the youngest daugh- 
ter of Aaron S. and Amanda (Brick) Parsons. 
She has one sister, Olive, wife of S. W. St. 
John, of Hubbardton, and one brother, Tim- 
othy, who resides in the same town. He has 
a wife and five children. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Benedict have been born three children, as 
follows; Dallas J.; Elmer T. L. ; and Clyde 



J. Dallas J. was an early victim to consump- 
tion. He died in Denver, Colorado, when 
twenty-two years old. Elmer T. L. resides 
on the farm with the suliject hereof. He has 
one son. Sherman. Clyde J. is unmarried, 
and is still at home. He is a graduate of the 
Troy Conference Academy of Poultney, and 
of Albany Business College. He is a book- 
keeper by occupation. 

Mr. Benedict is prominent in the G. A. R. 
circles of the G. A. R. post, in which he is past 
commander. He has served as cpiartermas- 
ter for fifteen years. He is also a past noble 
grand of the I. O. O. F. In his political 
views, he follows the leadership of the Repub- 
lican party. He has been a faithful public 
servant, and has held many of the town ofifices. 
such as selectman, lister, overseer of the poor, 
etc. He is a Universalist, but entertains lib- 
eral views on the subject of religion. 



fOREN MELVIN BAKER, a well-to- 
do farmer of Brandon, Vermont, was 
""^ born in Goshen, Addison county, 
Vermont, July 28, 1840. He is a son of An- 
thonv S. and Avaline "SI. (Belknap) Baker, 
and grandson of Anthony and Prudence 
(Torry) Baker. 

His grandfather was born in Rhode Island, 
October 9, 1788. He left Rhode Island and 
located in Sudbury, Vermont, while still a 
young man. He married Prudence Torry, 
who was a native of Massachusetts. Prudence 
was born August 15, 1786. She was a daugh- 
ter of Theodore Gaines, who died leaving his 



58 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



widow with tliree daugliters. only two of 
whom grew up. Their mother married Sam- 
uel Torry and the girls assumed the name of 
their step-father, who was born in i 763. Their 
mother was l)orn in 17^14. antl died in the 
seventieth year of her life. 

The grandparents of Loren Melvin Baker 
were married October 24, 1809, and reared si.x 
sons and three daughters, namely : .Vlmond G., 
born November 27, 1810; Anthony S., father 
of the subject hereof; Polly, born April 25, 
1815; O. H. P.. born December 11, 1816; 
Olive L, born April 2^, 1818; Loren H., born 
March 26, 1821 ; Luther M., born January 15, 
1824; Harry H., born December 3, 1826; and 
Prudence, born April 13, 1829. Of this 
numerous family three are still li\-ing, viz.: 
Olive L, the widow Fletcher, of Forest 
Dale; Harry H., who resides in the same vil- 
lage; and Prudence, wife of Chester Allen, of 
Lockjjort, Illinois. 

y\nthony S. Baker, father of the subject 
hereof, was born in the town of Brandon, 
X'ennnnt, July 9, 1813. March 17, 1836, he 
married Avaline M. Belknaj), who was born 
in Goshen, Vermont, in 1816. In 1845, ^"" 
thony S. Baker died, leaving one son, our sub- 
ject. His widow again married. She became 
the wife of Stephen Sails, who was postmaster 
of Forest Dale, for many years. Mr. Sails was 
by trade a stone and marble cutter, and a 
sculptor in finishing monuments. He not only 
made but dealt in monuments. His own 
monument, a tall, marble shaft, was made and 
erected by him some years prior to his death. 
Loren Melvin's mother died in the fall of 



1892, aged seventy-six years. She was sur- 
vived but two years by her second husband. 
They left a small property to which the subject 
of this sketch was one of the heirs. 

Loren MeKin Baker obtained the rudi- 
ments of an education in the schools of \'er- 
mont. He remained at home with his mother, 
and has followed farm life, to which he was 
reared. He, too, was twice married. His 
first marriage was contracted with Ella P. 
Chamberlain, of Goshen, \'ermont. She died 
leaving the following children; Cora A., and 
\'olney Sails. Cora A. married Lucius Avery, 
of Ferrisburg, \''ermont. Three of their four 
children are still living. Volney Sails resides 
in Forest Dale. He has a wife and one son. 
Mr. Baker was again married, November 10. 
1890. This time he was united with Julia A. 
Ketchum, a daughter of Benjamin Franklin 
and Mary Newman (Miller) Ketchum, of 
Brandon. Both of Mrs. Baker's parents are 
now deceased. They left five children. Mr. 
Baker is a master Mason. He is a Republi- 
can, in politics, and has rendered the town 
valuable services as selectman, justice of the 
peace, lister, and assessor. He does a mixed 
husbandrv on his eight hundred acres of farm- 
ing land. This land is divided into several 
farms. He keeps about seventeen head of 
horses of choice Vermont stock, mainly Mor- 
gans, which are considered the best breed. 

The positions of honor and trust held by 
Mr. Baker are the best evidences of the high 
esteem in which he is held by his friends and 
neighbors. He is a man of enterprise and 
good judgment, and the success which he has 




DR. JESSE EUGENE THOMSON. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



61 



attained is due solely to his own efforts. He 
has greatly impro\-ed all his farms and hires 
competent men to assist in culti\ating tiiem. 



M 



R. JESSE EUGENE THOMSON, 
I Q ■ whose portrait is shown on the oppo- 
site page, has attained distinction 
not alone in the medical profession, but in 
political circles as well, having held numerous 
positions of responsibility and trust, to which 
he was elected by the Republican party. As 
a physician and surgeon, he stands without a 
superior in Rutland, or in Rutland county, and 
his practice has grown to such an extent that 
he is allowed to devote but little time to any- 
thing else. Dr. Thomson, who is a son of 
Jesse and Mary L. (Wheelock) Thomson, was 
born in Jericho, Chittenden county, Vermont, 
November 22, 1853, and comes of Scotch- 
English ancestry, the family becomijig estab- 
lished in this country during early colonial 
days. 

Dr. Thomson received his education in the 
public schools and at Lamoille County Acad- 
emy, at Morrisville, Vermont, after which he 
pursued a course of medicine and surgery in 
the University of New York, from which he 
was graduated in 1878. Immediately there- 
after he entered upon a practice at Cabot, 
Vermont, in connection with Dr. S. L. Wis- 
well, continuing until 1883, when he removed 
to Rutland, Vermont, and began practice 
alone. He immediately assumed a prominent 
position among the practitioners of that city, 
in a remarkably short period, establishing a 



large and well-paying practice. He is a mem- 
ber of the advisory board of the Rutland 
Hospital. He has always endeavored to 
be a friend as well as a physician 
to his patient, and in this he has 
been successful, for no professional man in 
Rutland can lay claim to more friends than 
he. He is a Repulolican in politics, and served 
as superintendent of schools at Cabot in 1880. 
Since locating at Rutland, he has served as 
health officer two terms and was representa- 
tive of the city in the Vermont Legis- 
lature in 1896-97. In 1898 he received the 
unanimous Republican nomination for sena- 
tor from Rutland county, and, being success- 
ful at the polls, served as senator during the 
session of 1898-99. 

The Doctor is an especially well-known fig- 
ure in the field of secret orders, in which he 
has reached high ])ositions, his connections 
with Masonic bodies being particularly prom- 
inent. 'He has been grand dictator of the 
Knights of Honor, state medical examiner 
five years, and grand representative to the 
supreme lodge three years, this being the 
highest tribunal of the order. He is a mem- 
ber of the Knights of Pythias, past chancellor 
commander, and is a companion of the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He 
is a member of Rutland Lodge, No. 79, F. & 
A. M. ; Davenport Chapter, Royal Arch 
^'lasons. No. 17; Davenport Council, Royal 
and Select Masters ; Killington Commandery, 
Knights Templar; Delta Lodge of Perfection; 
Vermont Consistory ; Mount Sinai Temple, 
A. A. O. N. M. S. ; sovereign grand inspector 



62 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



general of the Supreme Council of the Thirty- 
third degree. Royal Order of Scotland; and 
Knight of the Red Cross of Constantine. He 
iias been eminent commander of Killington 
Commandery, Knights Templar, at Rutland 
for three terms ; and is now grand commander 
of Knigiits Templar and a])])endant orders of 
tlie state; first lieutenant conuiiander of the 
Vermont Council of Deliberation. Ancient 
and Accepted Scottish Rites. 

Dr. Thomson was united in marriage with 
Flora S. Rich, May i/. 1H79, and their happy 
union has been blessed by the birth of one 
child, Rena May. 



S ESTER FISH, a prominent farmer and 
breeder of famous Morgan stock, in 
■^^ the town of Ira, W'rmont. was l)oru 
I'Y'ljruarv i, il^,^-. near his present residence. 
He is a son of Lester and Eunice (Xewton) 
Fish and grandson of I'reserxed and .Abigail 
(Carpenter) Fish. 

Preserved Fish was a very prominent man 
in his day. He was born on Massachusetts 
Bay, November 5, i/JO- In ijyo, when nearl}- 
t\\eiit\' years old, he went to Ira. X'erniont. 
At that time, he was in debt to his brother, 
Matthew, to the amount of seventy dollars. 
In order to pay this, he was obliged to work 
for him until he reached his majority. Matthew 
li\'ed and died in Lanesboro, \'ermont. Pre- 
served Fish worked at masonry for some time, 
and succeeded in saving some money which 
lie invested in land. He afterward devoted 
his time to farming and speculation. He was 



industrious and an incessant worker, and made 
his labor and business enterprises count, so 
that be became, for his time, a man of wealth. 
He was the banker for the borrowers in iiis 
town, and. also, in neighboring towns. Be- 
fore his death he gave away $20,000 to his 
children, and after his demise, there remained 
$45,000 to be divided among iiis heirs. He 
was jiopular and was a faithful servant of the 
people. He served as magistrate, in Ira, for 
more than forty years ; as town clerk, two 
years; and as representative of the town of 
Ira, for thirteen years. He was foreman of 
the grand jury so often that the "boys" of 
Rutland had for a byword. 'W true bill. Pre- 
served Fish, foreman." In August, 1791, Mr. 
Fish was joined in marriage with .\bigail Car- 
penter. She bore her husband eleven stalwart 
sons, and one daughter. In 1869. the eight 
children still li\ing met in Bangor. New York. 
They averaged si.x feet in height, and their 
combined weight was fifteen hundred and four 
pounds. The eldest son. Russell, lived to be 
an octogenarian. Ten of this family reached 
maturity, one son having died young. At one 
time the school of "district No. 1" was com- 
l)riscd principally of the children of three fam- 
ilies, viz. : those of Jason Newton. Wilson Car- 
penter, and Preserved Fish. Each of these 
three families sent nine children to the school. 
Preserved Fish was a Mason, and reached 
the degree of Knight Templar. He died 
October 10, 1849, '" li's seventy-ninth year. 
His widow survived him about two and a half 
years. One son, Alanson, graduated from 
Middlebury College, in 1834. He studied 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



63 



theology at the Newton Theological Semi- 
nary, from 1834 to 1837, and was subsequently 
pastor of the First Baptist church in Chelsea. 
He (lied in Ira. June 3, 1840, at the early age 
of twenty-eight years. 

Lester Fish, father of the subject of this 
sketch, was born in the town of Ira, 
Vermont, in 1807. He was a farmer 
the whole of his active life. His son, 
Lester Fish, was reared to farm life and 
labor on his father's farm. He received only 
an ordinary and limited education in the dis- 
trict school, — remaining at home until lie 
reached his majority. For some time he was 
an invalid ; he became crippled in his right leg, 
which was withered and full of pain for more 
than three years, necessitating the use of 
crutches and unfitting him for manual labor. 
He implored the doctors to amputate his limb, 
but they refused to do so, anticipating, in time, 
at least a partial recovery. After a while Mr. 
Fish did improve, and used only one crutch. 
He went to Boston and worked as a teainster 
for two months, \\hile having his limb at- 
tended to. But he was not cured entirely. 
So great was his energy and determination 
that, in spite of his affliction, he accomplished 
a great deal of work, and, at the present time, 
performs as much labor as other men. He 
has not used a crutch or cane for the last forty 
years. 

In 1857, our subject proposed to his father 
that they purchase a four hundred-acre farm. 
As his father's health was very poor, he was 
naturally despondent, and was loth to do so, 
but the son finally gained his consent by prom- 



ising to pay for it himself. The farm was pur- 
chased on credit for $6,000. Soon after, his 
father died, leaving an additional debt of 
$7,000 on a nine hundred-acre tract of land, 
which was divided into three farms, and two 
hundred acres of mountain land besides. The 
reader can readily see under what unfortunate 
conditions Mr. Fish began his career, and will 
concede that, under the circumstances, his suc- 
cess in life has been niar\-elous. January 21, 
1 86 1, Lester Fish was united in marriage with 
Lucelia Elvira Rider. Mrs. Fish was born in 
New Haven, Vermont, February 21, 1841. 
She is a daughter of Richard D. and Lucy 
(Canfield) Rider. She was one of si.x children, 
namely : Stephen, of North Dakota ; Nathan- 
iel, who died when twenty-si.x years old; Nor- 
man F., of Bristol, Vermont; Lucelia Elvira, 
wife of Lester Fish ; Lucinda, wife of Emmet 
Tower, of New York City; and Washington 
Irving, of Bristol, Vermont. 

In 1848, Mrs. Fish's mother died, and her 
father contracted a second matrimonial alli- 
ance. He wedded Clara Jane Child, who bore 
him three children, as follows : Lucy Jane, 
Ebenezer C. and Ellsworth. Lucy Jane mar- 
ried Schelly Myer, who is, at the present time, 
the able principal of the Ladies' Training 
School in Chicago. Ebenezer C. resides on 
the Rider homestead. Ellsworth is also a 
resident of Chicago, where the mother also 
resides. Mrs. Fish's father died aged si.xty- 
nine years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Fish have lived on their 
fine farm, in the towai of Ira, ever since 
their marriage, except six years spent in Rut- 



64 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



land, wliere they still own a nice residence at 
Xumber 202, South Main street. Nine chil- 
dren were horn to them, \iz. : Frederick A.. 
Wallace N., Richard Arthur, Carrie W'., Alan- 
son Lester. Edward S., Russell, Harrison W.. 
and l.itlian M. I'^rederick A. is a prosperous 
fanner in Clarendon, Vermont. He has a 
wife and two sons. Wallace N. died, in 1890, 
in liis twenty-se\enth year. He left a widow 
and one son. Richard .\rthur died, in Rut- 
land, at the early age of twenty-hve years. He 
was unmarried. He was a student of Brown 
L niversitv, and was ])reparing for the minis- 
try. His loss was deeply deplored. Carrie 
W. died, in 1886, in her eighteenth year. 
.\lanson Lester graduated at Springfield. Mas- 
sachusetts, and is now a teacher of physical 
culture. Edward S. works in Rupert, \'t., on 
a farm. Russell resides in Saratoga, New 
York. He is unmarried. Harrison W. and 
Lillian M. still enliven tlie old home with 
their bright presence. 

Mr. and Mrs. Fish are active members of 
the Ba])tist church. Besides being a worker in 
the church, Mr. Fish lias also been Sunday 
school superintendent. In i^olitics, he is a 
l\e])ublican, but has had no political aspira- 
tions. His fine lesidence was erected by him 
in 1877, and his barn was built in 1884. 
Besides being a successful farmer, Mr. Fish 
has been, and is, a breeder of blooded horses. 
One, a "three-year-old," named "R. D. F.," 
was sold for $5,000. This horse astonished 
the "'horsemen" In' winning man\' races, beat- 
ing everything matched against him. Mr. 
Fish owned the nol)le st.illion, ".Vristos,'^ for 



which he paid $6,000. This fine stallion was 
called "King of the Morgans," and was one of 
the best horses ever owned in the state of Ver- 
mont. He was the sire of "R. D. F." and 
many fine and speedy horses, going below 
"2:20." His colt, H. D. Winship, made a 
record of "2:06," and was sold for $40,000. 
He now has "Tamerlane," a ])rize winner for 
s])eed and general appearance. He is a son 
of "Aristos," who was a valuable stallion and 
a most profitable sire. One of Mr. Fish's 
colts, a "two-year-old," — is a most perfect and 
promising horse and is valued highly by the 
owner. 

But for the losses the subject of this sketch 
has sustained in in\'estments, and the loss of 
his noble horse, "Aristos," i\Ir. Fish would l^e 
immensely wealthy. As it is, he is most com- 
fortably situated, and has made a record quite 
worthy of emulation. His children sustain 
tiie family reputation for height and, without 
the shadow of a doubt, will average six feet in 
stature. 



-J-— ^ ZRO MEACHAM. merchant and 
Rl] dealer in clothing and men's furnish- 

'^~" iBii 'jngs, is one of the most honored citi- 
zens of Brandon, \'ermont. Afr. Meacham 
was born in Potsdam, New York, and was 
brought to Brandon when but two years of 
age. He had both a common and an academ- 
ical schooling, in Brandon. .\t the age of 
fourteen years, he began his career by serving 
as a clerk in Pittsford for one year. He after- 
ward worked in the same capacity with E. J. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



65 



Bliss, a general merchant in Brandon, until 
1855, when he purchased his employer's in- 
terest. Two years later, Mr. Meacham sold 
to advantage, and turned his attention to farm- 
ing, for a few years. In 1861, he embarked in 
his present l)usiness. In 1867, he occupied a 
store in the Simmons Block, and was burned 
out, in 1889. The block was rebuilt, however, 
as soon as possible. In 1890, Mr. Meacham re- 
turned to his present tine, large and Ijrilliantly 
lighted store. The block in which the store 
is located is now the property of T. B. Smith, 
and is the most desirable block, for business 
purposes, in Brandon. 

November i, 1854, the subject of this sketch 
was united in marriage with Mary Adelia Lin- 
coln, daughter of W'ard M. and Sarah Amin- 
dia (Benson) Lincoln. Mrs. Meacham's 
father was a prominent farmer and sheep 
breeder in Brandon, Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. 
Meacham have four daughters living and have 
lost their only son, Charles O., who was in 
business with his father, and died, unmarried. 
at the age of twenty-nine years. Those liv- 
ing are Ida Rebecca, Eva, Mary, and Sarah. 
Ida Rebecca is the wife of Carleton R. Fish 
of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is a dealer 
in electric supplies in Boston. They have 
four sons and one daughter. Eva is a young 
latly at home. Mary is the wife of Dr. Charles 
H. Walker, a regular practitioner in New 
York City, where he has gained some fame as 
a surgeon. The Doctor is an unceasing 
worker. Sarah Meacham was educated in 
Brandon, and is successfully teaching in Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts. 



In politics, our subject is a Democrat. He 
served as first selectman of the town in 1880, 
1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, and 1886. During 
the last year of his administration, he wit- 
nessed the finishing touch on the fine soldiers' 
monument now standing upon the most ap- 
propriate location in Brandon. Our subject 
was largely instrumental in securing sucii a 
suitable location. The present neat, attract- 
ive appearance of the cemetery is also attrib- 
uted to his influence. It was formerly a neg- 
lected spot, surrountled Ijy a high board 
fence, but is now inclosed with a low, attract- 
ive fence, and is nicely kept. 

Mr. Meacham also served in the legislature 
in 1882 and 1883; he has been town agent, or 
legal advisor, for se\'eral years, town auditor, 
and justice of the peace for a number of years. 
He is a Mason, of high degree. He was mas- 
ter of St. Paul's Lodge, No. 25, F. & A. M., 
for thirteen years, out of his first twenty-five 
years of membership. He has been grand 
master of the grand lodge of Vermont, for 
two years. He is a life member of the grand 
lodge and of the Royal Arch Chapter. He 
is not only a representative man of the order, 
but also of his town. In August, 1862, the 
subject of our sketch enlisted in Company G, 
of the 12th Reg., \^ermont Infantr)-, an inde- 
pendent company organized under the mili- 
tary laws of Vermont. He enlisted for nine, 
and served eleven, months. 

At the battle of Gettysburg, he assisted in 
guarding an ammunition train. He returned 
from the war as first sergeant of Captain 
Ormsbee's company. Mr. Meacham is also a 



66 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



nieml)cr of tlie d. A. R. lie was quarter- 
master of the E. J. Ormsbee Post, No. i8, 
from its organization, to 1896. 

Ozro Meacliam is a son of Alanson and 
Hannaii (Patterson) Meacham, a grandson of 
Isaac and Phoebe (Thompson) Meacham, and 
great-grandson of Jonathan and Thankful 
(Rugg) Meacham. Jonathan Meaciiani was 
born at old Salem, Massachusetts. Later, 
he went to Williamstown, Mass., where he was 
a large property owner; about 1781. or 1782, 
he removed to Benson, \'t., where he was 
among the first settlers. He was a soldier 
in the French and Indian War ;ind also in the 
Revolutionary War. 

He was a fanner in good circumstances for 
his time, and was prominent in civil as well as 
military affairs. His marriage with Thankful 
Rugg resulted in the birth of seven sons and 
seven daughters. 

Isaac ]\Ieachani, Ozro's grandfather, was 
born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, April 3, 
1766. He died in 1844, at the age of seventy- 
eight years, in Brandon, where he settled 
in 1833. He married Phoebe Thompson, who 
was born in Pawlet, May 2"]. 1767. They 
lived on a farm in P>enson, which was one of 
the first towns settled in the county, after the 
Revolution. They reared four sons and two 
daughters, as follows: .\nscl ; Alanson, Ozro's 
father; Aionzo; Aurelius A.; Rosetta Rosina; 
and Almena Losette. Ansel was a farmer in 
Pottsdam, where he died when nearly seventy 
years old ; he left two daughters. Aionzo 
went west and was heard of no more, 
Aurelius A. was a wheelwright in Brandon, 



where he located early in life. In after years 
he went to Prescott, Wisconsin, where he died. 
He was over seventv vears old, and was sur- 
vived by two sons and two daughters. Ro- 
setta Rosina married and accoiupanied her 
husband to Illinois. She reared a family. .Al- 
mena Losette married a Mr. Rich who lived 
and died in the state of Xew York. 

Alanson Meacham was l^orn in ( )rwell, \'er- 
mont, October 17, 1801. About 1827, he 
was united in marriage with Hannah Patter- 
son. Hannah was a daughter of Mo.ses and 
Hannah (Allen) Patterson of Londonderry, 
\'enuont. Her father was a farmer, and was 
known as Captain Moses Patterson. He 
reared seven sons and four daughters. Ozro 
Meacham's father was a blacksmith. In 1833, 
he removed to Brandon, and entered into part- 
nership with his brother Aurelius .\. The 
firm style was A. A. & A. Meacham, wagon 
and carriage makers. They did a large busi- 
ness for those days, when evervthing was 
luade by hand, and Brandon was the leading 
town in that part of X'ermont. In early times 
large iron foundries were located there, and 
were run by charcoal. The first of the stove 
industries was also begun there. The accu- 
mulation of coal dust where Mr. Meacham's 
store now stands, was then fourteen feet deep, 
and the space of three hundred feet front, now 
partly vacant, was then covered with a blast 
furnace and foundries. The ore bed still re- 
mains, and is all that is left t(.i remind one of 
the busy past. 

Ozro Aleacham's father and uncle employed 
a force of twentv-five men in the different de- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



67 



partments of their business, whicli continued 
to increase in size until 1855, wiien their plant 
was burned to the ground, and was never re- 
built. Air. Meacham's uncle then went to 
Wisconsin, and his father retired from Inisi- 
ness. 

The mother of the subject of our sketch 
died in 1869, and was followed by her hus- 
band in 1875. They rest in the Pine Hill 
cemetery. They reared four children, viz. : 
Pulaski, a farmer in Benson ; Ozro, to whom 
this record pertains; Rollin, a merchant in 
Pittsford, Vermont, where he died in October, 
1889, leaving a wife and two daughters; and 
Jeannette, widow of Captain William B. Rob- 
inson. The latter was a descendant of the old 
Governor Robinson, and of the Deweys. He 
was a merchant in Troy, New York. Mrs. 
Robinson has two daughters and one son. 



(^AAIES DELAHANTY, one of the old- 
est and most prominent slate cjuarry- 
men in Rutland county, Vermont, re- 
sides in Hydexille, town of Castleton. He is 
a mend)cr of the Bomoseen Slate Company, 
which is the principal slate-tpiarry company 
in ffydeville. 

Mr. Delahanty is a native of County Tip- 
perary, Ireland, where he was born November 
24, 1844. He is a son of Patrick and Mary 
(Harney) Delahanty. His parents were mar- 
ried in 1836, and came to America, in 1853, 
witli their six children. After a rough voy- 
age of four weeks, they landed at old Castle 



Garden on November 5, 1853. The follow- 
ing day they started to Hydeville, Vermont, 
where they located forty-six years ago. Mr. 
Delahanty's father was a slate worker in the 
old country, and sought a home in America, 
hoping to better his condition. Their six chil- 
dren are : Mary C. ; Mathias ; James, subject 
of this sketch ; Anastasia ; John ; and Patrick 
Henry. 

Mary C. is the wife of a Mr. Hayes, and re- 
sides in Hydeville. Mathias is a respected 
citizen of West Castleton. Anastasia is the 
wife of Patrick Wallace, of Hydeville. John 
resides in Fair Haven. He is also a member 
of the Bomoseen Slate Company. Patrick 
Henry, or "Father Delahanty," as he was 
called, was a Catholic priest. He was edu- 
cated in Montreal, Canada. Later he was ap- 
pointed parish priest of Cambridge, New 
York, where his death took place May 6, 1888. 
He was only thirty-six years old. The 
mother of James Delahanty died January 24, 
1864, aged fifty-four years. His father sur- 
vived her until July 30, 1888, when he too 
passed away, at the advanced age of seventy- 
nine. His whole life was spent in the slate 
quarry business. 

James Delahanty received his primary men- 
tal training in Ireland, which was supple- 
mented by a further course of instruction in 
America. WHien fourteen years of age, he 
began work in the slate mills. In April, 1873, 
he went into business for himself, in company 
with P. H. Downs, as slate quarryman. The 
partnership then formed lasted many years, 
and the firm name, Downs & Delahanty, was 



68 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



unclianged until September, 1885. At that 
time the members of the firm, together with 
John Delahanty, the brother of James, formed 
the Bomoseen Slate Company, which is still 
the principal slate company in Hydeville. The 
members of the firm have worked in perfect 
unison, with the subject hereof in charge of 
the shipping department. However, when one 
member is absent, another partner assumes 
his duty, and the business progresses as usual. 
This company owns forty acres of slate-quarry 
land, together with six hundred and eighty 
acres of woodland in close proximity to their 
mills. They carry on an extensive business, 
and furnish employment to many men. 

In 1868, the subject of this sketch erected 
his present large and comfortable residence 
on his twenty-one-acre lot in Hydeville, where 
he also has tenement houses. October 5, 
1865, Mr. Delahanty was joined in matrimony 
with Mary E. Hatch, an accomplished daugh- 
ter of Nicholas P. Hatch, of Boston, Massa- 
chusetts. Eleven children blessed this happy 
union, five of whom are sons, and six, daugh- 
ters. The youngest is now twelve years of 
age. The beloved mcHlier passed to her final 
rest August 29, 1888, when only forty-one 
years old, and left a void in the iiousehold 
which will be forever unfilled. Her children's 
names are: Mary; Alice B. ; Patrick Henry; 
Catherine H. ; Nicholas J. ; Anna A. ; James 
A.; Helen Frances; Francis; Isabel M. ; and 
Ambrose M. 

Mary, the eldest, has always remained at 
home and endeavored to fill the place of her 
deceased mother as nearly as possible, In 



this respect she has succeeded admirably, and 
is her father's competent housekeeper. 
Alice B. chose the life of a nun, and is 
known as "Sister Magdeline." She is spend- 
ing a useful life in Burlington, \'ermont. Pat- 
rick Henry is an able lawyer in New York 
City. He is a graduate of St. Joseph College, 
and the New York Law School. He has a wife 
and two sons. Catherine H. and Anna A. 
are both successful teachers in the public 
school, in Hydeville. Nicholas J. graduated 
from St. John's College, and later from the 
Albanv Medical College. He is now a prac- 
ticing physician in the city of Rutland, Ver- 
mont. James A., a graduate of the New York 
Law School, completed his course in the class 
of 1899, and is practicing in New York City. 
Helen Frances is a competent saleslady, in 
New York City. Francis is a student in the 
Fair Haven High School. Isabel M. is attend- 
ing the public school at home, as is also Am- 
brose M. 

The subject of this sketch has been exceed- 
ingly liberal in caring for and educating his 
family. He has given each of his children ex- 
ceptional educational advantages, and has al- 
lowed each one to choose his, or her, own oc- 
cupation. Mr. Delahanty began life bare- 
handed and in a small way, saving money from 
day labor, until he acquired sufficient capital 
to purchase an interest. His i)resent financial 
competency, which enabled him to expend a 
large amount in rearing anrl educating his fam- 
ily, is but the result of his industry and good 
management. Mr. Delahanty is a Democrat. 
Like many of his countrymen, he is thoroughly 




JOSEPH H. CHAPMAN. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



71 



Americanized and a loval citizen of the United 
States. 

He has served six years as selectman, and 
was a member of the legislature, in 1898. He 
is a leading and highly esteemed citizen of his 
town. He has not only made a good record 
for himself, but has reared a most worthy fam- 
ily, who are, without doubt, destined to be- 
come men and women of prominence. He 
and his family are members of the Catholic 
church. 



fOSEPH H. CHAPMAN, a life-long 
farmer of the town of Clarendon, Rut- 
land county, Vermont, whose portrait 
is shown on the opposite page, lives upon the 
ancestral acres that were once the home of 
his great-grandfather. Several generations 
of the Chapman family were born there. 

Mr. Chapman makes a specialty of dairying 
and keeps on an average thirty milch cows. 
He has at present fifty head of horned cattle 
and four horses. His farm of 250 acres is 
productive and well improvetl. The comfort- 
al.)le brick residence was built by his father as 
early as 1846. Our subject was born on his 
present farm October 29, 1840, and is a son of 
Harvey and Harriet (Smith) Chapman, grand- 
son of Joseph and Dorcas ( Mead) Chapman, 
and great-grandson of Obadiah and Elizabeth 
(Northrop) Chapman. 

Obadiah Chapman, who was born in 1752, 
and died in 1812, was a Connecticut farmer. 
He settled on the farm now occupied by our 
subject March 2, 1786, over one hundred and 



thirteen years ago. He was one of the pio- 
neer settlers of Clarendon or Durham, as ii 
was then named. His wife, Elizabeth North- 
rop, was born in 1756, and died January 22, 
18 19. The first white child born in that local- 
ity was a Sprague and was named Durham 
Sprague. It is sup])osed that the place de- 
rived its name from him. Joseph Chapman, 
our subject's grandfather, was born in Salis- 
bury, Conn., March 2, 1776. He married 
Dorcas Mead, February 22, 1799; she was 
born December 14, 1776, in Rutland, and was 
related to the old Mead family who were 
among the earliest settlers in that locality. 
Our subject's grandparents were the parents 
of ten children, namely : Clarissa, who died at 
two years of age ; Bradley, who died at the age 
of nineteen; Harvey, father of our subject; 
Elsie ; Marcia, who died in infancy ; Burr ; 
Marcia ; Minerva; Emily; and Cecelia, who 
also died in infancy. Elsie married Lucius 
Beall, of Michigan ; she was the mother of six 
children and was about eighty at the time of 
her death. Minerva married Hiram Fish, and 
died at the early age of thirty-one, leaving one 
son, Marcus. Emily became the wife of John 
Gillmore and died in Massena, N. Y., at the 
age of fifty-three years. Marcia became the 
wife of Enos Fish and died at the age of thir- 
ty-nine, leaving six children. Burr was a 
prosperous farmer on the farm that adjoined 
that of our subject on the south. After the 
death of our subject's grandmother his grand- 
father again married. He died at the 
old homestead, March 22, 1859, aged 
eighty-three years and two months. He was 



72 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



a prosperous farmer, and owned several farms. 
His father owned one or two good farms and 
Joseph succeeded in adding many acres to 
them. Both he and his fatlier were worthy 
and well-to-do farmers. A rare coincidence 
(|uile worthy of note occurred in the lives of 
subject's ancestors. Both grandmothers, 
paternal and maternal, were "Meads," but 
from different families. However, they were 
distantly related. Mercy Mead, his maternal 
graudnuither was a daughter of Colonel James 
Mead, of Re\-olutionary fame. 

Harvey Ciiapman, suljject's father, was 
born September i, 1803. He was joined in 
marriage with Harriet Smith. Harriet was a 
daughter of John and Mercy (Mead) Smith. 
Their wedding took place December 15, 1825. 
They began married life on a farm, south of 
Clarendon, furmerly owned by Harvev Chap- 
man's grandfather. Harvey and Harriet 
(Smith) Chapman were blessed with four chil- 
dren, but one died in early life. The others 
are: Bradley: Dorcas: and Joseph II., the 
subject of these lines. Bradley, who died in 
1885, le;i\iiig a widow, was a progressive 
farmer in Clarendon. Dorcas is a maiden 
lady residing with our sul)ject, — in early life 
she followed teaching and was considered a 
splendid educator. Subject's father died De- 
ceiuber 10, 1882, aged seventy-nine years; his 
mother was eleven months her husband's 
senior, and survived him five years. 

Jose])h II. Chapman had a good common 
schooling which was supplemented by a thor- 
ough course at the academies at West Rut- 
land and Bernardston, Mass. He then taught 



school for one term but did not like that. He 
has made farming his life work. September 
5, 1866, he was joined in matrimony with 
Julia Smith, a popular young lady of Castle- 
ton, her native i)lace. Julia is a daughter of 
()b;idiah and Innocent (Morton) Smith. Mr. 
Smith was a farmer and was Ijorn in West 
Rutland : his wife was born in Castleton. Mrs. 
Chapman's parents reared three children. 
Their only son, Orson, is a resident of Claren- 
don. Mary died at the age of twentv-two. 
Mrs. Smith died at the age of thirty-three 
years and her husband afterwards contracted 
a second matrimonial alliance; he died whe?i 
sixty-three years old. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Chapman have l)een bor:i 
one son, Leon B. He is ncjw a young man, 
still at home, where his father finds his assist- 
ance on the f.'irm \-er)' valuable. Our subject 
and his family are members of the Congrega- 
tional church, to which they contribute freely. 
Mr. Chapman is an earnest Republican but 
has no aspirations to office. He has, how- 
ever, served as selectman. 




RS. ]\1.\RV E. WEED, an influe-i- 
tial ;uid respected resident of Rut- 
land, \'ermont, is the relict of 
George R. Weed, who died in Rutland, Janu- 
ary 22, \Hhj, at the early age of thirty-nine 
years. 

George R. Weed was born in Bethel, Con- 
necticut, in July, 1827. He was a son of 
Hiram and Mary (Cline) Weed. His parents 
were married at Bethel, Connecticut, where 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



73 



his father died, comparatively young, leaving 
his widow with t , sons, George R. and 
Joseph B. Joseph B. Weed is a resident of 
South Wilton, Connecticut, where he lives 
on a farm, a retired hatter. When twenty- 
two years old, George R. Weed began a mer- 
cantile life. He was a hat dealer for three 
years, fr. 1S5J, he engaged in business in 
Burlington, X'ermont, as an agent for \\'est- 
ern railroads. 

The following year he located in Rutland, 
where he and his family lioarded several years. 
In 1867, he purchased a beautiful residence at 
Number 30, North Main street. This is still 
tb.e home of the subject of this sketch. It is 
surrounded by lovely lawns and spacious 
grounds, covering, in all, about one acre. It 
has a desirable wide frontage, and extends 
back for several rods. October 15, 1850, 
George R. Weed was united in marriage with 
Mary E. Olmstead, a daughter of Thomas and 
Tabitha (Morehouse) Olmstead, of Reading, 
Connecticut. After marriage, the young 
folks kept house for some time in Burlington, 
Vt., and remained there until Mr. Weed be- 
came connected with railroad matters. Five 
children were born to them, namely : Hiram, 
who died at the early age of five and a half 
years; Anna M. ; Hattie, who died at the age 
of twenty months ; Charles H. ; and Mary B. 

Anna M. married W. F. Lewis of New 
York City. He is agent for tiie Howe Scale 
Company, an(,l is a Mason of high degree. He 
is grand warden of the grand lodge of the 
state. They have one son, now five years old. 
Charles H. Weed is still at home with his 



mother. He is unmarried. Mary B. married 
Charles Saunders, a commercial traveler. Thev 
ha\e had three children: George Ravmond ; 
John, deceased ;, and Harold Romine. Mr. 
Weed was a master Mason ; in politics, he was 
a Republican, but never aspired to ofBce. 

Mrs. \\'eed and her son, Charles H., are 
most pleasantly situated in the lieautiful home 
furnished them by the thrift and forethought 
of a loving husband and father. During the 
sunnner months, they are joined by the 
daughters and grandchildren, who tlelight in 
spending the long sunmier days in this de- 
lightful spot, of which the subject of our 
sketch is justly proud. 




|\RLOS \V. CARR,,a prominent con- 
tractor and builder of Brandon, Ver- 
mont, is the head of the firm, C. W. 
Carr & Son, and comes of a race noted for 
extreme longe\'ity on both sides of the family. 
His four grandparents lived to attain unusual 
age. Mr. Carr was born in the town of 
Brandon, close to the village of the same 
name, July 13, 1S38. He is a son of Caleb 
and Elmina (Kinsman) Carr, and grandson of 
William and Elizabeth ( Pierce) Carr. 

His grandfather was a native of Rhode 
Island. He was a tiller of the soil, and began 
life in the woods near Rochester, Vermont, 
where he cleared a farm. Aljout 1780, he lo- 
cated in Brandon. He married Elizal)eth 
Pierce, and had twelve children, who, with 
one exception, had long lives, and were scat- 
tered over various states of the Union. The 



74 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



seventh child. Pierce, (hcd in childhood. The I of whom grew up. Those .still living arc 



eldest child was Warner C. lie was horn in 
Clarendon, Vermont, January iS, fj()^. His 
mother was l)orn Octoher 9. iJJ^. 

Calel) Carr, father of Carlos \\'.. was horn 
in 1813. While still a young man. he learneil 
the car])enter trade which he followed in 
Rochester, X'ermont. lie was a natural me- 
chanic, and hand}' with tools. He located in 
Brandon more than forty-three years ago, and 
was a contractor and builder on a small scale. 
He died when fifty-four years old. He mar- 
ried Elmina Kinsman, who was one of nine 
children. She was horn in 1S14. and was a 
daughter of Moses and .Xhigail (Wood) Kins- 
man. Her father was horn in 17S4: her 
mother, in 1782: they were married in 1805. 
Their children were: Solon, l)ura, Cayel, 
iM'astus, Elmina. .Sarah. Malcolm, George 
and .\lar\-. .Some li\c(l to he \cry old. Six 
children were horn to Caleb and I'.lmina Carr, 
as follows: Warner, who died at the age of 
six months; Edwin (i.. of Brandon: Carlos 
W.. the suliject of this Ijiograjjliy : Susan Cj. : 
Rial 1-". : and Warner C. also of Brandon. 
.Sus;m Ci. married Jason K. Cam])bell. who 
died in Brandon, .\ugust 2j. 1876. He was 
born in Williamstown, \'ermont, and was a 
son of John and Eliza ( Keyes) Cam])bell. 

The Campbells originally came from Scot- 
land. Jason R., the grandfather of Jason K., 
was a sea captain, and was shipwrecked. One 
son and one daughter survixed him. w ho were 
left or])hans while ycnmg. and were bound 
out. John, the son, was born in 1800. He 
and his wife had a large family of children, all 



George H.. a bachelor and laboring man in 
Shoreham, X'ermont : and Emily, residing in 
Michigan. Their mother died in Xew York, 
and their father died at the home of Jason R., 
iri 1874. I'loth are buried at Brandon. One 
son, Weslev X., was in the ranks of the Union 
armv during the Civil War. and lost his life 
in the service. 

lason K. Cam]ibcll was a farmer and also 
had a shingle mill and a cider mill. He en- 
listed in the Union army under President Lin- 
coln's first call, and served three months. 
Eater he served nine months in the 12th Reg., 
\'ermoin \'ol. Infantry. His marriage with 
Susan G. Carr resulted in the birth of but one 
daughter, .\da M. She married D. F. Cham- 
berlain, of Wali^ole, Massachusetts, and died, 
witlicut issue, three years after her marriage. 
Mr. atid Mrs. Cam])bell began life huml)l\-. 
He died early, atid left a small property which 
they had earned together. Since the death 
of Mr. Campbell, however, his widow has 
been granted nearly $2,000 of pension arrear- 
age with current allowance of ?12 ])er month. 
Mr. Cam])l)ell was not well-educated, but was 
a man of intellect and ])ure morals. 

Rial F. Carr gave his life for our country, 
during the Civil War. He met his death at 
Cedar Creek, \a.. in his eighteenth year. That 
was his first ami last battle. His remains were 
soon exhume(l from the battlefield burial 
ground, and l)rought to Brandon by his 
brother-in-law. Jason K. Camiibell. 

The mother of L'arlos W. Carr lived to be 
eiehtv' vears old. She was a Methodist, and 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



lier hus1)and was also religiously inclined. He 
was a man of strict habits. He possessed a 
great deal of musical talent and played the 
large bass \-iol, in the M. E. church. He was 
an industrious man and li\-e(l well, Init did not 
accumulate wealth. 

Carlos VV. Carr obtained only a limited edu- 
cation in the district school. At the early 
age of ten years, he was put to work as chore 
boy on a neighboring farm. He gave his 
time and labor to his father until he attained 
his majority, and up to that period did not 
lea\e home permanently. But he did not like 
farming, and possessed much mechanical abil- 
ity. While yet in his teens, he built a small 
barn for a farmer with whom he was work- 
ing. His father helped to lay out the plan, 
and the work was all done by the subject of 
this sketch. 

In 1861, on the fourth day of Sei^tember, he 
responded to our country's call to arms, and 
enlisted in the Union army at Rochester, Ver- 
mont. He was a member of Company E, 4th 
\'ermont Regiment, under Captain H. L. 
Terry, and Colonel Ed. Stoughton. He was 
made sergeant u])on the organization of the 
company. Within a year, he rose to be sec- 
ond lieutenant of Company I, and in June, 
1864, was made first lieutenant. Three days 
later, he and his company (F) were taken pris- 
oners on the W'eldon Railroad. For nine 
months, they experienced the horrors of the 
Southern prisons, and were finally paroled at 
Wilmington, North Carolina. March i, 1865, 
they were in parole camp at Annapolis, Mary- 
land, and May 8, 1865, were mustered out 



in Washington, ]). C, by special order. 

Mr. Carr was in the service nearlv three 
years and nine months. Although he had 
many close calls and was in a great many bat- 
tles, he escaped the leaden hail. He was brev- 
etted captain of Company A, while a paroled 
prisoner. March 26, i860, Mr. Carr was 
joined in marriage with Sarah H. Good- 
enough, who was born on the farm where he 
now lives. 

Her father, Asa Goodenough, was twice 
married. His first wife was Relief Seager, who 
died, and left one child. His second wife 
(Mary Jane Newton before marriage), bore 
him three daughters, namely: Harriet M., 
wife of George Spooner, of Rutland ; Sophie 
E., wife of Charles \V. Seager, and Sarah H., 
wife of the subject of this sketch. 

Mr. and Mrs. Carr have two children. Lulu 
J. and Bernice Ames. Lulu J. married Mvron 
J. Watson, who is now deceased. She has 
one child, Doris C, a bright girl of twelve 
years. Both reside at the home of the sub- 
ject hereof. Bernice Ames Carr is the junior 
member of the firm of C. W. Carr & Son. He 
has a wife, and one daughter, whose name is 
(llive Temple. 

Bernice Ames Carr was in the Cuban A\'ar ; 
he was a member of the National Guards, 
which he joined at sixteen years of age. He 
arose from the ranks to be a captain of his 
company at the camp Chickamauga. Mr. 
Carr was first identified with the old "Allen 
Greys," an independent military organization 
under Captain Joseph Bush. Later, he or- 
ganized Company C, Vermont National 



76 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Guards, conimonl}- known as tlie "Warner 
(juards of the \'ermont Mililia." lie was 
made captain of this conlpany in iSjr. The 
company is still an active orijanization. and 
lias a record second to none in the state. 

Carlos W. Carr is ])ronunent in Ci. A. K. 
circles. He has hccn connnander of the post 
for three terms, and has also served as officer 
of the dav. In politics, he is a l\e]nil)lican, 
and is also a master Mason, as are his son and 
hrother. Mr. Carr hegan contracting in 1867. 
The firm was then Carr Brothers, and was 
composed of C. \\'.. E. G., i<: W. C., Carr. For 
the ])ast eitjht years, however, the firm name 
has heen C. W. Carr & Son. >'et all the 
former members are interesletl in the con- 
cern. They do a lari^e hiisihess in all kinds 
of huildini;. hut make a specialty of building 
and repairiui^- bridges. This lirm completes 
buildings from beginning to finish, — doing all 
the slating, painting, etc. They also make 
a specialty of moving buildings, and have suc- 
cessfullv executed some large contracts in that 
line. 




iS. AXX.\ FIF.LD, a highly re 



spected lad\- and resident of Bran- 
don, Rutland county. \'ermont, 
is the widow of the late Stearns J. I'ield, who 
died ( )ctol)er 20, 1897, aged eighty-four 
years. 

Stearns J. Field was born on the old Field 
farm, north of Brandon, where his grand- 
father, Joshua Field, settled more than a cen- 



Inry ago. Stearns J. I'ield v.as the eldest son 
of Paul and Mercy I Stearns) Field, grandson 
of Joshua I'ield and great-grandson of Gaines 
and Sarah (Ilolton) Field. Joshua Field was 
born in Xorthfield, Massachusetts, in 174''). 
.\])out 17S5, he remo\ed to lirandon, \'er- 
mout, settling upon the line farm now owned 
by B. P. h'ield. This farm has never had a 
mortgage ui)on it. nor has it e\er been out 
of the possession of the Field family since that 
early date. Joshua Field was a soldier during 
the Re\'olutionar\' War, — a member of the 
Xew Ham|)shire militia. He ]iarticipated in 
the l)attle of Bennington. lie died at the 
old home in Brandon, March 26, 1837. aged 
ninety-one years. His son Paul (father of 
Stearns J.) was gored to death by an o.x, 
October 21, 1834. 

Stearns 1. Field remained on the old honic 
farm until he was about forty-five years old. 
He then went west, where he led quite an 
ad\entiu-ous life. While there, he engaged in 
mining and other enterprises, including the 
occupation of mail carrier. This latter em- 
plo\ment was espcciall}' hazardous, as it ex- 
posed him to occasional assaults from the In- 
dians. He made money rapidl_\- but also met 
with occasional reverses. He returned from 
the West, Xoveiuber 12, 18^16. December 14, 
1871, Mr. l'"ield was united in marriage with 
the subject of this sketch, whose maiden name 
was .\nna Trainer. VWc children were born 
of this union; one died \-oimg; the others 
are Paul .Stearns, Anna, Fannie, and Clara M. 

Paul Stearns h'ield is a farmer residing on 
the home farm. He married Lelia Newton, a 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



77 



daughter of A. S. Newton. Anna Field mar- 
ried Willis G. Scott, of Brandon. Fannie 
Field is a successful teacher in the jiuhlic 
schools of Brandon. Clara M. is still at home 
witli her mother. Mrs. Field's hushancl was 
in puljlic life in Brandon, and made, hy his 
own exertions, the fine property he owned 
at one time. .Although he lost hea\ih', when 
at last o\ertaken l)y death he left a good 
estate, and his widow was assured of a com- 
petency for life. 

Mrs. Anna Field is a daughter of John and 
Anna (Higgins) Trainer, both natives of Ire- 
land. Her parents were married in Canada, 
where her father followed the shoemaker's 
trade. They reared all of their eleven chil- 
liren, — four sons and seven daughters. Those 
now living are : Ellen ; Mary ; Margaret ; 
Anna, the sul^ject hereof: Charles : Susan ; and 
Sarah. Ellen is the widow of the late Mr. 
Dixon of Port Arthur, Canada. She has three 
children. 'Mary is the widow of Mr. Marks, 
also of Canada. She has eight children still liv- 
ing. Margaret is the widow of anotiier gentle- 
man named Marks, of Marksville, Canada, 
where she resides with her three children. 
Charles is a prosperous farmer at Ashton, Illi- 
nois. He has three daughters and one son. 
Susan is the widow of Mr. Cuddihy, of Marys- 
ville, Ohio. She has two children. Sarah is 
the wife of Orville Corwin of Moriah, Esse.x 
county, New York. They have three sons. 

Mrs. Field's father died at about the age of 
fifty-two years. He is buried in Canada. His 
widow survived him nearly thirty years. She 
died at the home of the subject of this biog- 



raphy, in Brandon, in 1876, aged seventy- 
four years, and sleeps in Brandon cemetery. 
Airs. Field was born in Huntington, Canada. 
She was intellectual]}- trained in the common 
schools, and in 1865, went to Brandon, .\fter 
her marriage she settled on a farm near the 
old Field farm. This farm was purchased by 
her late husband, and upon it her h\-e children 
were born. Airs. I-'icld is a lady of many vir- 
tues of heart and mind. She is \ery pleas- 
antl\- located in Brandon, where her three 
daughters reside with her. Her kindly and 
cheerful ways have always m;ule her popular, 
and a social favorite. She is in possession of 
an ample competency, and is widely known, 
lo\cd and esteemed. 



YP^OLITX C. SAHTH, a prosperous 
I /^ dairy-farmer of Pittsford, Rutland 
V».*' countv, Vermont, was born in the 
same neighborhood where he now resides. 
May 22, 1839. Mr. Smith owns one hundred 
and seventy-five acres of land, in three pieces. 
He also leases one hundred antl twenty-five 
acres for pasturage. He milks from twenty 
to twenty-five high grade Jersey cows, and 
keeps alfout forty head. He also has four 
horses. RolHn C. Smith is a son of ( )rlin 
and Mary B. (Manley) Smith, a grandson of 
Samuel and Cynthia (Mead) Smith, and great- 
grandson of Ruben Smith, who was one of 
the pioneer settlers in the town of Pittsford. 
Samuel Smith wedded Cynthia Alead, and 
reared nine children, as follows: Triphena; 
John ; Ezra; Orlin, father of the subject here- 



78 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



of: Jane; Hulda; Cynthia: Samuel F. ; and 
Sarah. Triphcna married Nathan Dean; 
they li\x'tl in St. Lawrence. New York, and 
later in Jackson county, Michigi^an. They 
reared fi\e children. _U)hn is a i)rosi5erous 
farmer in the town of Pittsford. Ezra settled 
in Xew \'ork. and had three children. Jane 
married Truman Barlow, and Hulda married 
Franklin Barlow. Cynthia became the wife 
of Bradley Burditt. -Samuel F. resides in Cut- 
liniisville. Sarah is the wife of German Hen- 
dee, in the \-illage of Pittsford. \'ermont. 

Samuel Smith died when lift_\--two years old. 
fie had previously lost his wife, who had died 
at the age of forty-two. 'I'heir remains rest 
in the Congregational churchyard at Pittsford. 
Orlin Smith, father of Rollin C, was horn in 
I'ittsford, A'ermont. March 14, 1807. Xovem- 
lier2. 1831, he wedded .Mary !!. Manlev. He 
was a farmer by occupation. 

The mother of Rollin C. was horn in Chit- 
tenden, X'ermont, July _>_•. 1811. She was 
a daughter of Captain Thomas Mauley. He 
was a native of North Easton, Massachusetts, 
and was a prominent man in the civil and 
military affairs of his time. He raised a com- 
pany and started to the battle of Plattsburg, 
New York, but was too late to participate in 
that battle. He was thrice married and reared 
the most of his nineteen children. The sul)- 
ject of this sketch has a map of the world, one 
hundred and two years old. drawn by his ma- 
ternal grandmother. Her brother, Joel W. 
Mauley, was a leading man in public life. An- 
other brother was a doctor. 

Orlin Smith was a farmer in fair circum- 



stances. He held many of the town offices. 
He was a \'igorous and energetic man until 
he lost his wife. May 31, 1888. He foUoweil 
her to the grave April 5, 1892, in his eighty- 
sixth _\'ear. 

Rollin C. Smith was the eldest of three chil- 
dren : the others were Imogen and Hattie M. 
Imogen was twice married. Her first hus- 
band was Amos J. Powers. He served in the 
Civil War and was killed, later, in a marble 
(juarrw He left one daughter. Imogen is 
now the wife of Deacon James Palmer of \'er- 
million. South Dakota. Hattie ^I. married 
Amos M. Horner. She died March 7, 1897, 
in Clint, Te.xas. Rollin C. Smith obtained a 
good schooling in West Ruthuul. He taught 
his first term when nineteen years old; being 
stationed at Port Henry, New York. He 
taught two terms in California, where he went 
in 1861. He sjient three years in California 
and, during that time, he rode a ])ony express 
and was postmaster at Camptonville. March 
29, i8()5, he was joined in marriage with .\d- 
die A. \\ lieaton. of Madison, Connecticut, 
h'our children were born to them, nameb': 
Harry H. ; Cora K. : Fannie: and Minnie 
Alason. The W'heaton family have long lived 
in Connecticut, antl are of great longevity. 
The grandmother of Mrs. Smith lived to be 
ninety-se\-en _\-ears old: her father, Cai)tain F. 
L. W'heaton, died at the age of ninety-five 
years. 

Harry H. Smith is manager of the National 
Biscuit Company in Rutland, Vermont. He 
was married on the twenty-seventh anniver- 
sary of his father's marriage, in the same place, 



t 




HENRY CLAY RUMSEY. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



81 



and by the same minister, Rev. J. A. Gallup. 
Cora K. Smith married Thomas H. Ayers, of 
Pierre, South Dakota. Mr. Ayers. is secre- 
tary to the governor of that state. Fannie 
Smith is a kindergarten teacher of the same 
place. Minnie Mason Smith is a teacher in 
the Episcopal Parochial School, of New 
Haven, Connecticut. She was educated at 
the State Normal School, at New Haven, 
from which she graduated. 

Mr. Smith is, in politics, a Republican, and 
has done his share of official drudgery. He 
served as lister and selectman for many years, 
and also one term in the legislature. He is 
now serx'ing as lister, and school director. He 
is a past master Mason, of Otter Creek Lodge, 
No. 70. The subject of our sketch has been 
a member of the state board of agriculture 
for six years, and has visited nearly every one 
of the two hundred and forty-seven towns in 
the state. For many years he was choir 
leader of the Congregational church in Pitts- 
fc>r(l, of which his wife is a member. 




ENRY CLAY RUM'SEY, a well-to- 
do merchant of Castleton, Vermont, 
whose portrait is shown on the pre- 
ceding page, is a member of the firm of Rum- 
sey & St. John, dealers in flour and feed. He 
has been engaged in his present business for 
the past six 3'ears, or since "January, 1894. The 
members of the firm are both popular citizens 
and enjoy a fair patronage.. Mr. Rumsey is a 
son of Chauncey and Hannah Ida (Wallace) 



Rumsey, and grandson of William Rumsey of 
Connecticut. 

Chauncey Rumsey was born in Hubbard- 
ton, Vt., September 20, 1805. He continued 
to reside on his farm until 1877, and then 
moved to Castleton, where he died August 20, 
1893, nearly eighty-eight years old. He was 
the youngest of eleven children, about half of 
whom were boys; all are now deceased. The 
family removed to Genesee county. New 
York, by way of the Erie Canal, and later, a 
part of the family went to Michigan and some 
to other states, and thus became scattered. 
Chauncey Rumsey was joined in matrimony 
with Hannah Ida \\'allace, an attractive 
daughter of Seth \\'allace. This happy event 
transpired October 12, 1830, and resulted in 
the birth of but one son, Henry Clay, the sub- 
ject of these lines. Mrs. Rumsey was born 
in Hubbardton, Vt., October 29, i8og. Chaun- 
cey Rumsey was an intelligent and popular 
man. He made his own way in life from early 
youth and, unaided by any capital, accumu- 
lated a good property. He was a Republican 
and served in all the town offices. He also 
served in both branches of the legislature, and 
was a side judge in Rutland. H'e was town 
clerk and treasurer of Hulibardton, Vt., for 
twenty-six years. He was a man of remark- 
able vigor and health, and his mind was good 
to within a few days of his death, when he 
lacked but thirty days of being eighty-eight 
years old. 

Henry Clay Rumsey first saw the light of 
day on his father's farm, in Hubbardton, Vt., 
April 28, 1844. He was reared to farm life 



82 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and received the customary sclioolinjj of a 
farmer's boy. He attended scliool. however, 
until twenty years of age. He was married 
at twenty-one j'ears, wlien Dorleska E. Brad- 
Icy became his wife. Slie is a daughter of 
S. J. and Charlotte (Balis) Bradley, farmers 
of Hubbardton, both of whom are now de- 
ceased. To I\lr. and Mrs. Ijradlev were born 
three children, namely : Charlotte, Dorleska 
(subject's wife), and Jennie. Charlotte mar- 
ried A. L. Hill, and died at the age of fifty- 
one, leaving one daughter. Jennie mar- 
ried Daniel T. Johnson, and died childless. S. 
J. Bradley, the father of these children, died 
in December, 1897, when nearly eighty-four 
years old ; his wife had passed to the life be- 
yond at fifty-one years of age. 

Our subject and his wife are consistent 
members of the Congregational church at 
Castleton and ha\e been inenibcrs of that 
church from youth. Mr. Rumse)^ is now a 
deacon. Like his father, he is a Republican 
and has filled most of the town ofiices of both 
Castleton and Hubbardton. In the latter 
town he served as selectman, treasurer, con- 
stable, and as collector. He went to Castle- 
ton with his father in 1S77. and now resides at 
No. 18 Main street, ne.xt door to his store. 
He settled in his home twenty-two years ago, 
and his father purchased the store in 1891. 
Mr. Rumsey also owns a village farm of 20 
acres and keeps three cows and a team of 
horses. 

Our subject is a director of the First Na- 
tional Bank in Fair Haven. In that office he 
succeeded his father, who was one of the or- 



ganizers of the bank, and served as director 
until his death. 



CBKXEZER JANES BLISS, a re- 
tired merchant of Brandon. Rutland 
countv, A'ermont, is one of the old- 
est and most honored citizens of thar place. 
Mr. Bliss is of English derivation. He was 
bom JanuaA- 3, 18 17, in Shoreham, Vermont. 
A widow Bliss, with her four sons, emigrated 
to America from England, and settled in 
Deerfield. Massachusetts. From tiiese most 
of the Blisses in .America are supposed to have 
descended. 

Calvin Bliss, Sr., grandfather of Ebenezer 
Janes Bliss, was born in Massachusetts, in 
June. 1754. He died at Leicester, Vermont. 
October 14. 1848, aged ninety-four years and 
fi\e luonths. During the last year, or two, of 
his life, he was quite infirm. He married Jane 
Janes, a daughter of Dr. Ebenezer Janes, of 
Connecticut. Tiiese grandparents left Mas- 
sachusetts at an early day and settled in Shore- 
ham, \'ermont. The)- had seven children, as 
follows: Solomon. Rhilomela, Henry, Calvin 
Jr.. father of the subject hereof; Sally. Ruth 
and Oliver. 

Solomon Bliss located in central New York, 
where he liccame prominent as a farmer. Ruth 
married a Mr. Clark. They removed to the 
state of New York, also, locating along the St. 
Lawrence River. 

Calvin P)liss, Sr., was a farmer in good cir- 
cumstances. He served our country during 
the Revolutionary \\"ar, and drew a pension 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



83 



from the government. His wife died at al)out 
the age of seventy years. They rest in South 
Cornweli, a sliort distance from the old farm 
in South Shoreliam. 

Calvin Bliss. Jr., the father of Ebenezer 
Janes Bliss, was born in Colerain, Franklin 
county, Massachusetts. He spent the most of 
his life in Rutlanil county, A'ermont. Four 
years before his death, he went west, where he 
died October 22, 1865, aged seventy-two years 
and six months. He was twice married. 
About 18 16, he married Sally Fuller of Shore- 
ham, a daughter of Joseph Fuller, Four chil- 
dren blessed their union, the eldest of whom is 
the subject of these lines. One died young, 
and three grew up : Ebenezer Janes, Rachel 
Fuller, and Joseph. Rachel Fuller Bliss mar- 
ried Horace Kingsley. She died when about 
sixty years old, and left three cliildren, of 
whom only one son is now living. His name 
is Horace Kingsley, and he li\'es in Clarendon, 
Vermont. Joseph Bliss was self-educated. 
He taught school for a number of years. His 
marriage with Julia Conant resulted in the 
birth of si.x children. He died in Kansas, 
aged seventy years. 

After the death of Sally (Fuller) Bliss, Cal- 
\-in Bliss, Jr., again married, and had six more 
children. C)ne daughter of this second union 
is a widow lady, in Illinois. 

Ebenezer Janes Bliss was reared on a farm 
and had a common schooling. When about 
eighteen years old, he accepted a position as 
clerk in Bridport, Vermont, where he re- 
mained for two years. He went to Brandon, 
in 1837, and worked in the same capacity, two 



years, for Jackson & Ketchum, the leading 

merchants of the place. He continued in the 
occupation of a clerk until 1840, when he pur- 
chased his employers' interest and formed a 
partnership with a Mr. Warren. The business 
was conducted under the firm name of War- 
ren & Bliss. In 1872, Mr. Bliss sold out, and 
for several years was general agent for the 
Howe Scale Company, in New York and Bos- 
ton. A part of the time his headquarters were 
at Boston, and the remainder of the time in 
New York. 

In his younger days, Mr. Bliss was a free- 
soil Democrat and as such he was elected to 
the legislature in 1861, 1862, and 1863., He 
took an active part in the state legislation of 
that eventful period, and served on some im- 
portant committees. He supported such 
measures as won for him the approval of his 
constituents in Brandon. September 13, 
1840, Mr, Bliss was joined in marriage with 
Rebecca M. Benson. ;Mrs. Bliss was born in 
the town of Hubbardton, May 6, 1819. She 
is a daughter of Ira and Sally (Kenyon) Ben- 
son. Her mother was born May 17, 1789. 
Her father was born February 28, 1794. He 
was a shoemaker by trade. Six children were 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Bliss, namely : a daugh- 
ter who died in infancy ; Edgar ; Charles ; Fred, 
who also died in infancy ; Fred Calvin ; and 
another son, Judson, who died when four 
months old. Edgar Bliss resides in Great Bar- 
rington, Massachusetts. He is a writer, and 
most of his time is spent in Boston. He is 
now living with his second wife, who has borne 
him one son. By his first marriage, he has 



84 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



one daughter and three grandchildren. 
Charles Bliss, with his wife and one daughter, 
Maud, resides in New York City. Fred Calvin 
Bliss is an employee of the Nickel Chemical 
Company, of New York City. 

Mr. Bliss is a Royal Arch Mason. He is 
past master of St. Paul's Lodge, of Brandon. 
He is a mcmljer of the Baptist church, and is 
an open communionist. He places deeds 
ahead of creeds, and believes there will be no 
sects in heaven. Mr. Bliss is a well preserved 
man for his years, having full retention of all 
his faculties except his sight, which is im- 
])aircd liy cataract. He is one of those refined 
and genial gentlemen, who remain sweet and 
buoyant even to the end of life's journey. 



ILLIAM TYLER DENISON, 



Vy^/ postmaster of Pittsford, Rutland 
C()unt\', \'crnuinl, is also tax col- 
lector, constable and senior member of the 
tirm of Denison Bros., prosperous merchants 
of the same place. This firm began business 
in 1873, and has a large patronage in the gen- 
eral merchandise trade. Francis C. Denison, 
junior member of the firm, enjoys the distinc- 
tion of being the U. S. consul at Woodstock, 
New Brunswick. 

William T. Denison was born in Castleton, 
Vermont, June 9, 1844. His father Edward 
H. Denison was also a native of Rutland 
county. He was born in West Rutland in 
1817, and died in Middlebury, \'crmont, in 
1864. October 19, 1840, he was joined in 
marriage with Sarah Robinson, of Castleton, 



X'erniont. Fi\e children l)lessed tiicir union, 
namely: Ann Eliza: William Tyler, the sub- 
ject of this sketch; Francis C, born June 20, 
1850; Edward; and Samuel, who was born 
April 14, 1856. Ann Eliza was born Decem- 
ber 28, 1 841. She is now the wife of Rev. 
John K. Williams. 

]\Ir. Denison's paternal grandfather, Wil- 
liam Denison, was born in Lvine, Connecticut, 
November 26, 1776. He was a son of Samuel 
Denison, of Connecticut, grandson of John 
Denison, who lived in Lyme, Stonington, and 
Middletown, all in Connecticut, great-grand- 
son of Robert Denison and great-great-grand- 
son of John Denison. The latter was born 
in 1698, and died November 26, 1776. Cap- 
tain George Denison of Stonington. Connecti- 
cut, a distant relative of William Tyler Deni- 
son, traces his ancestors back to one William 
Denison, who was born in England, about 
1586, came to America in 1(131, and settled in 
Roxbury, Massachusetts. He was accom- 
panied by his wife and three sons, Daniel, Ed- 
ward and George. A tutor, whose name was 
John Eliot, also accompanied the family. 

William Denison died in Roxbury, January 
-5' 1653. His eldest son, Daniel, was lioru 
in 1C12. He lived in Ipswich, Massachu- 
setts, and had two sons. The connecting link 
between the ancestors of Captain Denison and 
those of the subject of this sketch is missing. 

\\'illiam Tyler Denison married Emily H. 
Dr;duie, the ceremony being performed 
March 25, 1874. Two children blessed this 
union, Grace T. and William E. (jrace T. is an 
accom[)lished young lady, still at home. She 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



85 



is a high school graduate. William E. is a 
bright lad of twelve years. Mv. Denison is 
a stanch Republican, as is also his brother. 
He has worked faithfully in the interests of his 
party, and has served as selectman. He at- 
tends the Congregational church. 



OHN STEPHEN STAEFORD, a re- 
tired hardware merchant of Brandon, 
Vermont, has been a leading business 
man of Rutland county for half a century, save 
the five vears he spent in the \\ est, and has 
been closelv identified with the interests of his 
section, filling many positions of trust. 

Mr. Stafford was born in Ticonderoga, New 
York, February i8, 1828. He is a son of 
Isaac Gates and Lucy (Whitmore) Stafford, 
and grandson of Dr. John Stafford. The lat- 
ter was an eminent physician of \\ eathersfield, 
\^ermont. He died in 1833, in middle life, and 
v.as buried in Weathersfield. His widow sur- 
vived him many years; she died in 1851, aged 
seventy-five years, and is buried in Caldwell, 
New York. They reared but two children, — 
Isaac Gates and his younger brother. Ba- 
ron T. 

I.saac Gates Stafford, father of our subject, 
was born in Cornish, New Hampshire, Octo- 
ber 28, 1796. He married Lucy Whitmore, a 
native of Weathersfield, where she was born 
November 29, 1799. Her parents were Jehial 
and Polly (Higgin) Whitmore. They removed 
from Wallingford, Connecticut, to \\'eathers- 
field, Vermont, and located on a farm. They 
were in good circumstances and reared a lar^e 



family of children, all of whom became up- 
right, honorable citizens. "Sir. Whitmore, 
himself, was an exemplary citizen, and a trust- 
w'orthy, public servant. 

Our subject's parents were married about 
18 19, when the bride was twenty years old and 
the bridegroom was twenty-three. Ten chil- 
dren were born to them, and although Mr. 
and Mrs. Stafford were not wealthv, they edu- 
cated their children well. The names of the 
children were : Joseph Freeman ; Eliza Ann ; 
Benjamin Freeman ; John Stephen, subject of 
these lines ; Alpiionso P. ; Clarissa ; Amos Sa\'- 
age; Sarah Maria; Emily L. ; and William 
Henry. 

Joseph Freeman w-as born January 13, 182 1. 
He died in Granville, New York, February 19, 
1892, leaving one son, W. C. Stafford. Eliza 
Ann, born December 20, 1822, died in Troy, 
New York, February 16, 1895, and was buried 
in \\"allingford. She was twice married. Her 
first husband was Ira Baker, by whom she had 
one son and one daughter. Her second hus- 
band was Seneca D. Townsend. Benjamin 
Freeman was born in Ticonderoga, N. Y., De- 
cember 24, 1825 ; he died April 19, 1858, leav- 
ing a wife and one son. Alphonso P. was 
born November 5, 1830. He has a wife, 
daughter and son, and is a retired citizen of 
Wallingford, Vermont. Clarissa married 
John Moon. She was born, February 16, 
1833, and died at Sandy Hill, New York, Feb- 
ruary 21, 1864. Amos Savage was born Feb- 
ruary 2, 1835, and in 1859, when last heard of, 
was a resident of Dubuque, Iowa. Sarah 
Maria was born May 2, 1837, in Granville, 



86 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



New York. Slie worked at niillinery for many 
years but is now retired. Emily L., born 
October 15, 1839, married Newman Weeks of 
Rutland, Vermont, and died childless, Sep- 
tember 30, 1894. William Henry was born 
March 10, 1844. He has one daus^hter, and 
is a resident of Clinton, Connecticut, where 
he has a fine dejjartment store. Subject's 
father died in Wallingford, Vermont, Novem- 
ber 15, 1872, and was followed in a few short 
}ears by his wife, who jjassed to her final 
rest, Ncnendjer 25, 1875, ''^ North Granville, 
New York. 

John Stephen Stafford left home at the 
early age of twelve years, and began his career 
as clerk in a country store at Middle Granville, 
New York. He stayed with his first employer 
three years, but attended school during the 
winter terius until he attained the age of 
eighteen years. His marriage took place in 
Wallingford, \'ermont. May 16, 1861. when he 
was united with Mary Holden. Mrs. StatYord 
was born January 28, 1838. She is a daugh- 
ter of Dr. David and Lydia (Townsend) Hol- 
den. The latter descended from another good 
old family, particularly noted for longevity. 
Her father lived to be ninety-two years old, 
while her uncle. Col. Dyer Townsend. at- 
tained the age of ninety-six years; Mrs. Hol- 
den herself was eighty-two years old at the 
time of her death, which took place at Pitts- 
ford, March 21, 1882. Mrs. Stafford's father 
was for many years a prominent plnsician in 
Wallingfordj He died March 27, i860. Her 
grandfather, David Holden, was a prosperous 
farmer in Shrewsbury. He died in 1837, leav- 



ing two sons and had previously lost one 
daughter. His sons were David, father of 
Mrs. Stafford, and Harry. The latter also fol- 
lowed farming on Shrewsbury Hill. He 
reared seven children and died when seventy- 
five years old. 

^Ir. and Mrs. .Stafford have one son. David 
Holden Stafford, and lost one son in infancy. 
David Holden Stafford was born February 22. 
1864. He went to Kansas in 1887 and is now 
a bank cashier in Mankato. He married 
Mary Barker of Brandon. Four children were 
born to them, the eldest of whom died in in- 
fancy. Their names are: John Winthrop, 
Lewis H. ; Helen May; and Florence Eliza- 
beth. Mr. Stafford went west to Iowa City, 
in 1856, when all territory west of the Mis- 
souri River was wild and unsettled. He re- 
mained in the West five years and was en- 
gaged most of that time in the hardware busi- 
ness. He was also associated with a com- 
pany which dealt in stock and farm products 
on a large scale, frequently paying out three 
or four thousand dollars in one day. He was 
in the Indian Reserve during a part of the 
Border Ruftian War. 

.Vjiril 1, 1863, our subject located in Bran- 
don, where he started in the hardware and 
stove business on Park street. In 1865. his 
brother was taken in as a partner but with- 
drew a couple of years later. In 1867. Charles 
R. Phelps became a member of the firm, which 
carried on business for thirty years under the 
firm name of Stafford & Phelps. The busi- 
ness continued to grow and after reaping a 
handsome competency, Mr. Stafford practi- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



87 



cally retired in 1898, and is now enjoying the 
just rewards of a well spent life. 

For eighteen years, our subject was a trus- 
tee of the Troy Conference Academy and 
served several years as vice-president. He is 
a valued nieniljer of the Masonic fraternity. 
In politics, his support is given to the Repub- 
lican party. He has served on the school 
board, and on the town conmiittee, — and now 
is and has been for many years a director of 
the First National Bank of Brandon, Ver- 
mont. In his religious views, he believes in 
the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, and has been an official of that church 
for thirty years. Mr. Stafford is a splendid 
example of an enterprising American citizen, 
who has risen by his own eft'orts to a position 
where he is respected and admired by all who 
know him. 



l^aATRICK H. downs, a prominent 
"^-^ slate mainifacturer of Hydeville, Ver- 
mont, owns and operates some of the 
finest quarries in Rutland county. Mr. Downs 
received a common school education, in Bos- 
ton and in Hydeville, and in 1862 began to 
work with his father in the marble shops at 
Center Rutland. Later he did similar work 
in Hydeville, and there it was that he learned 
the trade of a marble mason, which has been 
his lifework. 

In 1873, the firm of Downs & Delahanty 
was formed and began the manufacture of 
slate mantles in Poultney, Vermont. Four 
years later their mill was moved to Hydeville, 



and located near the railroad depot. For 
eight years, the principal business carried on 
was marbleized slate mantels, — which was 
then a paying business. The firm then changed 
to a general quarry and mill business in slate. 
They have a forty-acre tract of quarry land 
about four miles north of Hydeville at Lake 
Bomoseen, where they employ thirty hands, 
on an average. The plant turns out, at the 
present time, billiard beds, steps, platforms, 
plumbing supplies, and general mill work. 

June 15, 1875, Mr. Downs was united in 
marriage with Bridget Pender, of Brandon, 
Vermont. Mrs. Downs is a daughter of 
Michael and Johanna Pender, of Cohoes, New 
York. To Mr. and Mrs. Downs have been 
born eight children, namely: Charles E. ; 
Henry P. ; Mary ; William ; Agnes ; Thomas ; 
Elizabeth and Alice. Charles E. is a law stu- 
dent, in New York. He is a graduate of 
Fordham College. Henry P. is a junior of the 
same college. Mary died in July, 1886, aged 
six years. William died August 13, 1886, 
from scarlet fever, at the age of four and a 
half years. Agnes died August 1 1, 1886, aged 
three and a half years. Thomas was born July 
8, 1886. Elizabeth was born January 13, 1889. 
Alice, the baby, was born in February, 1894. 

Patrick H. Downs first saw the light of day 
on February 2y, 1847, in Ireland. He is a 
son of Thomas and Catherine (O'Neil) 
Downs, both of Irish nativity. His parents 
were married in Ireland, and came to America, 
having then only one child, — Patrick H., — 
the subject of this sketch. They took passage 
on a sailing vessel, and after a quick, tern- 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



pestuous voyage of three weeks, landed in 
Boston, in July, 1850. Mr. Downs' father was 
a marble worker in the old country, and 
worked, in Boston, at his trade until July, 
1859. He then removed to Hydevillc, Vt., 
and was a slate worker for the "Hydes" until 
their mill hurnod. After an illness of one year 
he died, in 1886, of consumption, aged sixty- 
eight years. His widow is still living, and is 
now seventy-one years of age. She has two 
ciiildren living. Patrick H., the subject of this 
record, and his sister Aiuiie. Annie is the 
wife of Martin Bolger, in Hydeville. Mr. 
Downs" mother resides with her. 

Mr. Downs had two sisters and three 
brothers who are now deceased. They are 
Mary; Thomas J.; John E. ; Edward F. ; and 
Katie. Mary married Frank Keefe. She 
died in Gran\-ille, New York. Thomas J. was 
a stone cutter, and died in New York City, in 
1886. He left a wife and one daughter. John 
E. died in Hydeville, Vt., leaving a widow, 
one daughter and one son. Katie married E. 
A. McCarty, and died, in 1892, at Cape Girar- 
deau, Missouri. One son and one daughter 
survived her. 

Mr. Downs settled in his ])lcasant cottage 
in 1879. Although not a modern one, and 
somewdiat old fashioned, his home is a very 
comfortable one. He is a meinber of the 
Knights of Columbus. The family are devout 
members of the Catholic church. 

Mr. Downs' father and brothers were vic- 
tims of consumption, which is the common 
fate of men who work in slate and marble 
mills. This is caused by inhaling the dust. But 



the subject of this sketch is a man of most 
robust physique, and is the very picture of 
health. He is a remarkably pleasant and gen- 
ial man, both in business and in social circles, 
and is most devoted to his home and family. 



f^OIIX J. JONES, one of the most suc- 
cessful slate manufacturers of Castle- 
ton, \'ermont, is well known as one of 
the worthy citizens and substantial business 
men of Rutland county. About fifteen years 
ago, Mr. Jones opened a quarry two and a 
half miles north of Castleton. This proved 
to be one of the most \-alualde (juarrics in that 
section. Although a force of from six to 
twelve men, only, are employed there, the suc- 
cess of Mr. Jones has been phenomenal. 

Mr. Jones was born May 10, 1829, in Wales. 
In 1853, lie came to America, with sufficient 
money to pay his return passage, provided he 
did not want to stay. After a seven weeks' 
voyage, iie landed in New York City in Sep- 
tember of the year mentioned. A month later 
found him in Castleton. He was schooled in 
\\'ales, where he also worked in the quarries. 
After working by the day for nearly a year 
after coming to Aiuerica, he became an oper- 
ator on his own behalf. Mr. Jones is a Re- 
publican, in politics. He had the office of town 
grand juror thrust upon him; in 1889, he 
served in the legislature. He is a member 
of the Welsh Presbyterian church, of which 
he has been a deacon for forty years. His 
family favor the Methodist church, and he 
contributes liberally toward the support of 




HON. lKi:i) MASON lU'TLER. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



91 



both. Mr. Jones has always owned a home 
of his own. He removed from his farm to 
his present residence in the village about 
fourteen years ago. 

John J. Jones is a son of John and Ann 
(Williams) Jones. His father was born in 
1805, and died in 1889. Four of his eight 
children sought a home in America. Besides 
the subject hereof, -Richard, William, and 
GritSth became .\nierican citizens. Richard 
and William came o\er in i860. Richard 
was also a quarryman, but is now deceased. 
W^illiam was only eighteen years old when he 
crossed the ocean. He attended college at 
Hamilton, Ohio, and has been an able clergy- 
man for many years. He has two children, 
a son and daughter, — the son is a physician; 
their names are William and Margaret. Grif- 
fith Jones located in Castleton, where he died. 
He left several sons. The mother of John J. 
died when fifty years old, but his father was 
eighty-four years old at the time of his death. 

In June, 1857, the suliject hereof was joined 
in matrimony with Jane Hawkins, a daughter 
of Joseph and Laura Hawkins, of Castleton. 
Mr. Hawkins died early and left his widow 
with four children. Other children died 
previous to this, in infancy. The daugliters 
are still living. Their mother lived to be 
ninety years old. To Mr. and Mrs. Jones have 
been born ten children, as follows : Joseph ; 
John, Jr. ; Laura ; William ; Henry ; Richard ; 
Fred ; Walter ; Jane and Harriet. 

Joseph is a miner, in Montana. He is a 
widower, with one daughter. John, Jr., re- 
sides in Castleton. He is manager of a slate 



company in which the subject hereof is, also, 
interested. He has two sons. The mill of 
which he is manager, was established in the 
village of Castleton, in 1892. This mill was 
destroyed by fire. Business was resumed at 
a new mill one mile from the village. Laura 
is the wife of Bert Farr, of Rutland. Vermont. 
They have three children. William is also in 
the quarry business. He has a wife and one 
daughter. Henry is still a bachelor, and works 
in the gold and silver mines of Montana. 
Richard is a machinist in Claremont, New 
Hampshire. Walter resides in Chicago, Illi- 
nois. He is a college graduate and is a civil 
engineer by profession. Jane, or "Jennie," 
as she is called, is still at home, as is also Har- 
riet, who is a successful teacher. 

In his unusually successful life, the subject 
of this sketch has had no cause to regret com- 
ing to the "land of the free." 




OX. FRED MASON BUTLER. It 
would be utterly out of place for us to 
introduce Mr. Butler to the citi- 
zens of Rutland county, other than by the 
mere mention of his name, for as a barrister 
he has attained a prominence which extends 
far beyond the bounds of his own county. Pos- 
sessing instinctively a legal mind, and being 
endowed with a spirit of restless energy, he 
was not content until he had reached the top 
in his profession. He is a partner of Thomas 
W. Moloney, and the Reports of the Supreme 
Court of Vermont bear testimony to the fact 
that there are few cases of prominence in the 



92 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



district in wliich tliis firm is not retained as 
counsel on one side or the otlier. 

Our sul)jcct was horn in Jamaica. Wind- 
ham county, X'ermont, May 28, 1854, and is a 
son of Aaron Mason and Emeline (Muzzy) 
Butler. His grandfather was named Aaron 
Butler, as was also his great-grandfather, whn 
was a soldier in the Re\<ilutionarv War. He 
enlisted in the Continental army from Dan- 
l)ury, Conn., July 14, 1773, and afterward 
served as ensign in the Third Regiment, Con- 
necticut Line. After the war he settled in 
Jamaica, Vermont, and li\-ed there until his 
death. April 25, 1785. He left a wife and 
four children, John, Zechariah, Aaron, and 
Lucy, all of whom settled in Jamaica, Ver- 
mont, with their father when that locality was 
still covered by a dense forest. Aaron Mason 
Butler, the father of our subject, was for many 
years a prosperous and progressive farmer of 
that town. 

Hon. Fred Maseru P.utler. after completing 
a preliminary education in the public schools 
of Jamaica, supplemented it by taking a 
course of study in Leland and Cray Seminary. 
Upon leaving school, he determined to pre- 
pare himself for the legal profession, and be- 
came a student in the office of Jonathan G. 
Eddy. Esq.. of Jamaica, but he subsequentlv 
studie<l a year and a half in the law otTice of 
Hon. li. H. Wheeler and 11., n. E. L. Water- 
man. He was admitted to the bar of Wind- 
liam county in 1877. at the March term of 
court, and that year entered into a co-partner- 
ship with Hon. Joel C. Baker of Rutland. The 
firm was dissolved at the end of one year and 



he practicefl alone for a brief period, but early 
in 1879 he formed a co-partnership with Hon. 
L. W . Redington. which continued for six 
years. In 1885. he became a i)artner to 
Thomas W. Moloney of Rutland, and they 
ha\e since been associated in practice. The 
business of this firm has been ex- 
ceedingly large, extending into nearly 
e\ery county in the state, and ttiere are few 
volumes of the Reports of the SuJ^reme Court 
of Vermont, issued since 1881, that do not 
contain important cases in which they were 
actively engaged. The court dockets of Rut- 
land county show that this firm has a larger 
practice than any other firm in the county, 
their name appearing in 86 out of 140 cases in 
a recent trial calendar. 

Mr. Butler is an enthusiastic Republican in 
politics, and although he has devoted consid- 
erable time t(j local political affairs, it is his 
desire not to let it interfere in an\- way with 
his legal work. He was town grand juror in 
1882-83-84, and held the position of city at- 
torney from that time until he received the 
ap]iointment as judge of the City Court in 
1889, a position to which he was successively 
appoip.ted by (_iovernors Dillingham, Page. 
and I'^dler. At the end of six years' ser\-ice 
in that capacity he declined a re-appointment 
in order to de\-otc his time exclusively to his 
ever increasing law practice, wdiich his sterl- 
ing qualities, eminent ability and legal learn- 
ing had made second to none in the county. 
The preparation and trial of causes in the 
Supreme Court has become with him a spe- 
cialty. He obtained from the legislature a 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



93 



charter for the New England Fire Insurance 
Company, and has been a director and the 
attorney of that corporation since its organiza- 
tion. He is treasurer and managing (Hreclor 
of the Rutland City Electric Company which 
operates all the electric lights in Rutland and 
supplies electric power for many industries in 
that city as well as for the electric railroad in 
Rutland and West Rutland, lie is also pres- 
ident and treasurer of the Marble City Elec- 
tric Company. 

On November 24, 1875, Judge Butler was 
united in marriage with Lillian Holton, a 
daughter of Josiah and Octavia (Ivnight) 
Holton, of Dummerston, and they are the 
proud parents of three children, as follows: 
Anza Lillian ; Helen Maria ; and Florence 
Muzzy. Judge Butler's portrait accompanies 
this sketch of his life, lieing presented on a 
preceding page. 



T^HARLES C. KINSMAN, the accom- 
l J| modating and efficient manager of the 

^ — ^carpet department of Ross, Huntress 
& Co., one of the leading dry goods estab- 
lishments in Rutland, has been a salesman in 
that house for many years. For six years he 
was a member of the firm but subsequently 
sold his interest to Mr. Ross. Mr. Kinsman is, 
perhaps, one of the best posted men in the 
dry goods trade in Rutland, and his services 
are much valued by his employers, who turn 
over to him the complete management of the 
carpet department. 

Charles C. Kinsman was born in the town 



of Brandon, Rutland county, Vt., April 2.8, 
1840. He is a son of Carroll and Lydia (Carr) 
Kinsman, and grandson of Moses and Abigail 
(\\"ood) Kinsman. Moses Kinsman was born 
in New Hampshire about 1786, and died in 
Canada about 1866. He was a tiller of the 
soil and followed that peaceful occupation all 
his life. He wedded Abigail Wood, and they 
reared five sons and four daughters of whom 
the only survivors are Charles C. Kinsman's 
father, and George W. Kinsman, who resides 
in Canada, where the grandparents are buried, 
at Georgeville. 

Carroll Kinsman, father of Charles C, was 
born in New Hampshire, June 10, 18 10, and 
was reared in the towns of Clarendon and 
Brandon, Vermont. About 1831, he was joined 
in matrimony with Lydia Carr, of Clarendon, 
where the wedding was solemnized. Three 
children blessed this union, namely : Elvira, 
Henry and Charles C. Elvira became the wife 
of Alonzo E. Lord. Mrs. Lord died about 
1868, leaving two children, Minnie and Flora. 
Henry and his wife are now residents of Salis- 
bury, Addison county, Vt, where he is en- 
gaged in mercantile pursuits. Charles C. is 
the subject of this sketch. Carroll Kinsman 
was a carpenter by trade, and a prominent 
contractor and builder in Brandon, Vt., where 
he has spent the most of his hfe. In 1880, he 
was deprived of his much loved companion, 
who died when about sixty-four years of age. 
The father of Charles C. is still a widower and 
now lives a retired life, in the town of Bran- 
don, Vermont. He gave each of his children 
a good schooling and at the age of thirteen 



94 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



years, Charles C. began working out and mak- 
ing liis own way in tlie world. 

September 20, 1861, the subject hereof en- 
listed as a private from Rochester, Vt., in 
Company E, 4th Reg., Vermont Vols. In mak- 
ing up the company, he was, however, ap- 
pointed first sergeant. He served eighteen 
months and then received an honorable 
discharge from further service, on ac- 
count of failing health. He was dis- 
charged as first lieutenant. Returning to 
Brandon, Mr. Kinsman soon after located in 
Rutland, where he accepted a position as sales- 
man with Ross & Jones, dry goods merchants. 
That was in October, 1863, thirty-six years 
ago, and he has been engaged in the dry goods 
business from that time. The firm of Kins- 
man & Ross was in trade from 1869, for six 
years, when Mr. Kinsman sold his interest to 
Charles E. Ross, with whom he has been a 
salesman ever since, with the exception of two 
years, during which time he was manager for 
the Sterns dry goods establishment. 

October 18, 1864, Mr. Kinsman led Abbie 
M. Ross to the hymeneal altar. Mrs. Kins- 
man was a daughter of Ephraim and Sarah 
(Robinson) Ross, influential citizens of Bran- 
don. Mr. Ross was born in Shrewsbury, V\.., 
and Mrs. Ross in Reading, X'ermont. Their 
marriage was solemnized in March, 1840. 
They reared two daughters, Abbie M., wife 
of the subject hereof, and Addie H., who died 
aged nineteen years. After the death of his 
first wife, Mr. Ross again married ; this time 
his first wife's sister was the bride. Two sons, 
Warren E. and Eugene R. (now deceased), 



were the result of this union. Warren E. Ross 
is now a prosperous shoe merchant in Rut- 
land. Mr. Ross died in 1868, and lies buried 
in the cemetery at Brandon. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Kinsman have been born 
two children, the eldest of whom is Carroll E., 
a bank official in Burlington, Vermont. Car- 
roll E. Kinsman was educated in the Rutland 
Grammar school, with a finishing course at 
the Poughkeepsie Business College. He be- 
came a bookkeeper at an early age in a Bur- 
lington bank, where he now occupies the posi- 
tion of head bookkeeper and discount clerk. 
The youngest son of the subject of this sketch 
is Frank R., who is peculiarly gifted by nature, 
in addition to which he has excellent morals. 
He is one of the few persons of tact and genius 
who excel in many things. Besides being an 
accomplished musician and pianist, he is a 
gifted portrait painter, and, in fact, is one of 
nature's artists. He studied under a private 
tutor in Boston, and is constantly seeking 
more knowledge of his profession. 

Mr. Kinsman is a master Mason, and also a 
member of Roberts Post, No. 14, G. A. R., 
of Rutland, of which he has served as junior 
vice commander, senior vice commander, and 
two terms as connnander, and is now serving 
as adjutant. In 1882, he served as assistant ad- 
jutant general of the department and in 1883- 
1884, he served as department commander, 
G. A. R., of the Department of Vermont. He 
is a valued member of the Knights of Pythias. 
In military service he has served through all 
the grades, from a private to a brevet briga- 
dier-general, — which is rarely done. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



95 



Mr. and Mrs. Kinsman are extremely and 
justly proud of their sons, who are as yet un- 
touched by Cupid's darts. They are happily 
anticipating the time when sweet little grand- 
children will gather round them in their pleas- 
ant home, Number 56, Grove street, where 
they settled nearly thirty years ago. 



El' 



DGAR N. MILLER, a real estate 
dealer in the village of Brandon, 
Rutland county, \'ermont, is also 
the proprietor of the principal furniture store 
and undertaking establishment of that place. 
Mr. Miller is not only a successful and pros- 
perous business man, but is popular in both 
business and social circles. 

He was born in St. Albans, Vermont, Aug- 
ust I, 1864. He was the recipient of a good 
common school education obtained in the 
public schools of his native place. When fif- 
teen years old, he entered the counting room 
of the "St. Albans Messenger & Advertiser," 
where he found emplo\ment for three years. 
He then went to Brandon, Vermont, and ac- 
cepted a position as clerk in the dry goods 
store of E. D. Thayer. He followed the dry 
goods business for nine years, and then re- 
signed as he was in very poor heahh. Mr. 
Miller's next move was to embark in the fur- 
niture and undertaking business. Except five 
months during tiie late Spanish-American 
War, he has continued in the same line of 
trade ever since. He went into the war above 
mentioned as first lieutenant of Company C, 
1st Reg., Vermont Vol. Infantry. After the 



mustering out of the regiment, and the reor- 
ganization of tlie state national guard, he 
was elected captain of the same company. He 
was on duty at Cam]) Chickamauga as com- 
missary of the regiment. 

SeptemVier 3, 1884, Mr. Miller married Jen- 
nie Merriam, a daughter of Charles and Helen 
(Bramble) Merriam. Mrs. Miller is the only 
blood relative of the noted Conant family, 
residing in Brandon. Old Dr. Conant, the 
great historian, was her uncle. Another uncle 
was John .-\. Conant. Mrs. Miller's father was 
a contractor and builder I:iy occupation. He 
died in Brandon, in 1883, at the age of forty- 
seven years. He left a widow, and one daugh- 
ter, — the wife of the suljject of this sketch. 
He also left them a beautiful residence, now 
the home of Edgar N. Miller, where Mrs. Mil- 
ler's mother also makes her home. 

Edgar N. Miller is a son of Pascal and 
Salome (La Rock) Miller, and grandson of 
Xewell Miller. 

Newell Miller was a native of Canada, and 
fought on the British side of the line, in 1812. 
He reared six sons and four daughters. One 
son was Pascal, the father of Edgar N. ; an- 
other son, Newell, .gave his life to our country 
in the Civil War. He was a volunteer from 
Michigan. The only son now living is John 
Miller, who resides at Palm Beach, Florida. 
He is a veteran of the Civil W'ar, having served 
in the ranks. For several years he has spent 
his winters in Florida. He has recently re- 
moved to a permanent home there. He had 
been a manufacturer of cotton goods in the 
Amoskeap; Mills. 



96 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Pascal Miller was born in St. Johns, Can- 
ada, March 15, 1S24. He learned the carpen- 
ter's trade, and later was a contractor and 
builder, of prominence. Many of the stib- 
stantial building's still standing in St. Albans 
arc monuments to his skill, and testify to his 
liij^h abilit}". He reared six children to whom 
he gave superior educational ad\antages. He 
also left each a good inheritance. He was 
joined in marriage with Salome La Rock, a 
(laughter of Joseph La Rock. This cere- 
mon\' was performed by Rev. Briggs, a Con- 
gregational minister. The couiile were mem- 
bers of that church in St. Albans twenty- 
three vears. Sex'en children blessed this 
union, six of whom grew to maturity, — five 
sons and one daughter. Their names are, 
Frederick Marvin ; Chester Eldridge ; Williain 
Wilbur: l-ldgar X. (the subject hereof); Sam- 
uel Lawrence; and Cora Emma. 

Freilerick Mar\in resides in Fresno, Cali- 
fornia, where he w erit in 1879. He is a prom- 
inent banker of that iilace. He stands high 
in masonic circles, and is popular with all. He 
also served as general grandissimo of the 
grand commandery of the state of California. 
Ciiester Eldridge is a contractor and builder 
in Chicago, Illinois, where he went in 1881. 
William \\'ilbur is a resident of Kenosha, Wis- 
consin. He is agent for the Val Blatz Brew- 
ing Compau)-. Samuel Lawrence is engaged 
as an electrician at Xarragansett Pier. Rhode 
Lslancl. He married Alice Brown of that 
place. Two children blessed this union, l)oth 
of whom are now deceased. Alice (Brown) 
Miller was born and reared at Xarragansett 



Pier. She is descended from soldiers of tlie 
Rex'olution, through the Rodman and Haz- 
ard families. She is an active member of the 
Daughters of the .American Revolution. 
Cora Emma ]\Jiller is an accountant and 
cashier in Troy, New York. 

The mother of ]'~dgar X'. Miller ])assed 
to her final rest November 24, 1883, aged tift_\-- 
four years. She was survived 1)\- her com- 
panion until June 4, 1897. They rest in St. 
Albans, \'ermont, where the most of their 
married life was spent, and where they were 
well and favorabi}- known. 

The subject of this sketch is a Mason, of 
high degree. He was high priest of Farm- 
er's Chapter. No. 9, for four years, and served 
as district deputy for two years. In politics, 
he is a Republican, but has not been an office 
seeker. Although not a member of any 
church, he assists in supporting several, and 
contributes freely to worthy charitable insti- 
tutions. 



T^HARLES CARLETON BENNETT, 
I J| ticket-broker and member of the 
^ — ^ Ticket Brokers' Association, is a 
liighly respected and worthy citizen of Rut- 
land, Vermont. He was born in Florence, 
South Carolina, July 24, 1838, and is a son of 
Elias Fisher and Martha Ann (.Allen) Ben- 
nett. His father was a native of Connecticut, 
and went south from Caledonia county, \'er- 
mont, in 1836. He cho.se for his life partner, 
Martha Ann Allen, an accomplished young 
lady. Mrs. Bennett was born December 30, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



97 



1817, and was nineteen years old at the 
time of lier marriage. She was a daugliter of 
Josiah Allen of Sheffield, Vermont. Elias 
Fisher Bennett was a shoemaker by trade and 
died in the prime of life, leaving a widow with 
two sons, Charles, the subject of this sketch, 
and his younger brother, John F., who is a 
meat dealer in North Andover, Massachusetts. 
Their father's death occurred, in 1842, at East 
Burke, Vermont. 

Mr. Bennett's mother contracted a second 
matrimonial alliance, tliis time with John B. 
Nadeau, a millwright and miller by trade. 
This second union resulted in the birth of four 
sons, namely: William, who died in middle 
life at White River Junction, leaving one 
daughter and one son; Ira, residing in Lynn, 
Mass., and engaged in the wholesale confec- 
tionery business ; Fred, who died in Burke, 
Vt., in childhood; and Jesse, who resides in 
Boston. Mrs. Nadeau died July i, 1899, ^t 
the home of her son, Ira, in Lynn, Mass., aged 
eighty-one years. 

Charles Carleton Bennett had a limited 
schooling up to his fourteenth year, when he 
started to "paddle his own canoe" as a bell- 
boy in a hotel, the Green Mountain House, re- 
maining there for one year, and later, serving 
for four years, at the Island Pond Hotel, as 
porter. Mr. Bennett has spent his life work- 
ing in hotels and staging, being engaged for 
eighteen years in the Bates House, Rutland, 
then the leading hotel of the Green Moun- 
tain State. In April, 1895, the Bates House 
was closed, and Mr. Bennett left the hotel 
business and opened his ticket ofBce, May 12, 



1895. Josephine Beals, an afifable young lady 
of St. Albans, Vt., became his wife, in 1866. 
Two children, one son and one daughter, 
blessed their home but only for a short time : 
the son died in infancy, and Ruby Louise died 
at the early age of eight years. 

Mr. Bennett was one of the loyal Vermont- 
ers who was ready to preserve the union of 
the States. August 25, 1862, he enlisted as a 
volunteer from St. Albans, Franklin county, 
in Company L, ist Reg., Vermont Cavalry; 
enlisting as a private, he was discharged a 
corporal, from Captain A. G. Watson's com- 
pany. His was a three years' regiment, from 
which he was honorably discharged June i, 
1865, at Burlington, Vermont. Mr. Bennett 
received a bayonet wound in his wrist at the 
battle of Falling Waters. 

On the eleventh day of June, 1864, while 
serving as private orderly for Capt. Green, 
adjutant general on Gen. Custer's staff, he was 
captured at Trevilian Station, and was not 
exchanged until the thirteenth day of the fol- 
lowing December. He was confined in the 
prison camp at Charlottesville, Va., for ten 
days, was then taken to the Tobacco House, 
in Richmond, thence to Libby Prison, where 
he remained about si.x weeks, thence to the 
Andersonville pen, where he was in durance 
most vile. December 13, 1864, he was re- 
leased from the Florence Southern Prison, 
with his health impaired and his body reduced 
to a mere skeleton weighing only one hundred 
and twelve pounds. He will never forget the 
sickening horrors, the filth and the starvation 
of that experience, so loathsome and vile that 



98 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



no words or painting can portray, no amount 
of money compensate for, tlie suffering en- 
dured there. Nothing but a strong constitution 
and a heroic will could have survived the hor- 
rors of those southern prisons, and although 
Mr. Bennett a])pears to he a fine, rolnist speci- 
men of manhood todax'. he is a suffering 
wreck of that dreadful experience. Return- 
ing from war, the subject of this sketch went 
to Newport and engaged in the hotel busi- 
ness for a year ; he then went to Boston and 
was employed in the same Inisiness there until 
1869, he then located in Burlington, \'t., in 
a like occupation, for five years. At the close 
of that time, he went to Rutland, where he had 
previously worked about a year ; he spent one 
summer in Saratoga, and two summers in 
Plattsburg, N. Y.. returning to Rutland in 
the summer of 1876. 

Mrs. Bennett departed from her earthly 
home January 14, 1897, aged fifty-eight 
years ; her death was sudden and came with- 
out warning ; while alone she dropped dead 
from heart failure. 

Mr. Bennett is a valued memlier of the G. A. 
K., Roberts Post, Xo. Su. of Ivullaud. Tn 
his ])olitic;U affiliations, he is a Democrat, as 
was his father before him, but has had no time 
for politics, or office. 



K"^RAXK M. GOODWIN, a well-to- 
do farmer of Rutland county, \'ermont, 
resides u]ion his fine farm at the head of 
Bomoseen Lake, town of Castleton, Vermont. 
This farm contains four hundred acres and is 



a part of the f;u"m originally purchased by 
liis grandfather, who was an extensive land 
owner. It has a frontage of over one mile on 
the Ijeautiful Bomoseen Lake. Mr. Goodwin 
carries on general farming, and opens liis 
home to summer boarders. He keeps ten 
cows and four horses, and owns several fine 
boats, which are used to take his frequent 
guests out rowing on the pictm'esque lake. 

Frank Al. Goodwin was born January 3, 
1S59, upon the farm which is still his home. 
His father was also born on the same farm, 
but in a dilfcrent house. He is a son of Tlier- 
on and Caroline (Kilburn) Goodwin, and 
grandson of Stephen Goodwin. Stephen 
Goodwin was a native of Holland, whence he 
came to America, while still a youth. His par- 
ents had a large family of twehe children. 
They all crossed the ocean at the same time. 
They settled u])on a farm at the head of 
Bomoseen Lake, in l\utland countv, \'er- 
mont. Stephen Goodwin first purchased a 
small piece of land, to which he added more 
as his circumstances would permit. In this 
way he accumulated six hundred acres. It 
was mostly woodland and was uiiimproveil. 
Stephen Goodwin died about 1869, when be- 
tween seventy and eighty years old. 

Theron Goodwin first saw the light of day 
December 12, 1829. In 1855, he was joined 
in marriage with Caroline Kilburn, an ami- 
able daughter of Hiram Kilburn. Four chil- 
dren blessed this happy union, namely: a 
son, who died in infancy; Frank M., the sub- 
ject of these lines ; Ted, a prosperous farmer, 
in the town of Hubbardton, who has three 




E. o. bikdh r. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



101 



children ; and George, who is still unmarried, 
and resides on the old farm. 

Frank M. Goodwin was joined in marriage 
with Lillian Tebordo. Their wedding took 
place February 2, 1880. Mrs. Goodwin is a na- 
tive of the town of Castleton, where sKe was 
born, in 1864. She has three children, viz. : 
Rufus, born in 1882; Harley, born in 1884; 
and Daisy, born August 29, 1885. Mr. Good- 
win is a Democrat, as his father was before 
him. The faniil}- unite in worshiping at the 
Congregational church in Hubbardton, of 
which Mrs. Goodwin is a member and a lib- 
eral supporter. 

The subject of this sketch enjoys a happy 
life upon his lieautiful farm, and does not in- 
tend to kill himself with work, or worry. He 
is a genial, wholesouled, jovial farmer, and 
thoroughly enjoys the sports and pastimes of 
a rural life. He can entertain his summer 
guests to their entire satisfaction. 



~r^^^ A. BURDITT, one of the foremost 
P business men of Rutland county, 

whose portrait accompanies this 
sketch, has been engaged in lumbering during 
his entire business career and is proprietor of 
a large mill property at North Shrewsbury, 
town of Shrewsbury, Rutland county, 
Vermont. 

Mr. Burditt was born in Shrewsbury, No- 
vember 17. 1858, and received a thorough 
preliminary education in the public schools, 
after which he took a course in the Green 
Mountain y\cademy at South Woodstock. Fie 



then took a business course in Eastman's Bus- 
iness College of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., from 
which he receix'ed a diploma. Upon leaving 
school he went into the mill business with his 
father, and this has been his life work. 

The business was established more than 
forty years ago by Rodney P. Burditt, the 
father of our subject. The mill was an old 
style water mill located near Cold River, but 
in 1 88 1 this was replaced l)y a steam mill, 
equipped with modernized machinery. This 
was successfully operated until 1883, when, 
unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire, but al- 
most immediately rebuilt with many desirable 
improvements added. In 1893, Mr. Burditt 
removed to North Shrewsbury, building the 
present mill, and took our subject into the 
partnership. They i)urchased 1,700 acres of 
timber land, including five farms, welt- 
equipped with buildings, and it is now one 
of the best mills in the county. They manu- 
facture building materials of all kinds, and 
have an extra large custom trade, shipping 
mostly to the chair manufacturers of Massa- 
chusetts, especially Gardner, Massachusetts, 
where there are thirteen chair factories. The 
shipping point as a usual thing is at Cuttings - 
ville, but they also haul and ship from other 
convenient jwints. It is a steam mill of good 
capacity and nothing Init the most highly ap- 
proved machinery is used. The boiler room 
contains two fine AVhittaker boilers of 120 
horse power, and in a separate building is a 
Brown (Fitchburg) engine. There is a mod- 
ern dry kiln with a Sturte\'ant hot blast, which 
has a capacity of 20,000 feet of lumber, the 



102 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



interior dimensions being 60 x 9 x 18 feet. It 
has an up and down draught and is used for 
drying chair stock, the blast having 2.200 feet 
of coiled steel pipe and the average tempera- 
ture used is 140 degrees. The main building 
in wl'.ich nothing but lumber is made con- 
tains the best facilities for this work, and there 
are numerous little contrivances, w liicli are the 
result of our subject's own ingenuity, which 
prove invaluable in the amount of time they 
save. Fourteen men are constantly employed 
and the output of the establishment is 10,000 
feet jjer day, the limljer mostl\- coming from 
the mountains, the cutting and logging being 
chiefly done by contract. 

Our subject held a half interest in the busi- 
ness until 1899, when he purchased his father's 
share in the property. He has since conducteil 
it alone anil bears an excellent reputation as 
a business man, and is enjoying a very pros- 
perous life. He is a man of spirit and favors 
every measure which tends to advance the in- 
terests of his community. He has many 
friends in this section of the state who respect 
him as a man of influence and worth to the 
community in which he lives. He has a well- 
stocked farm upon which he lives, cultivating 
it sufficiently to raise enough feed for his 
stock. He also owns a tenement house as 
well as a boarding house for the use of his 
employees and their families. His sister re- 
sides with him, and has ably assisted him in 
the work. Politically, he is a stanch supporter 
of the Republican party, and was a representa- 
tive in 1896-97 at the special session of the 
legislature, which met to declare on the Span- 



ish-American War. He has held various 
township offices and is justice of the peace. 
Religiously, he is a member of the Christian 
clnirch. Socially, he is a member of \'ermont 
Lodge, Xo. I, Knights of Pythias. 



(^'^' HOMAS J. LYON, for many years 
^1 a successful business man of Rutland, 
\'ermont, where he now owns a large 
amount of real estate, is most truly the archi- 
tect of his own fortune. He is now retired 
from active business pursuits, and spends his 
time in looking after his various investments 
and attending to his rentals. He was born 
in Fitzwilliams, Cheshire county, New Hamp- 
shire, February 12, 1825, and is a .son of Elijah 
and Sarah (Howe) Lyon. 

The first members of the family, who came 
to America from England, were John and Wil- 
liam Lyon, the latter being the grandfather 
of the subject of this sketch. William Lyon 
died many years before the birth of Thomas 
J., leaving a widow, and four sons, namely: 
David, Samuel, Isaac, and Elijah. These 
brothers all went west, but Elijah returned 
to the East, where he located. Elijah Lyon 
was probably born in Royalston, Mass., about 
1797, and died there at the age of sixty-seven 
years. He followed agricultural pursuits all 
his life. About 1816, he was joined in mar- 
riage with Sarah Howe, an attractive young 
lady, who proved a worthy companion to her 
husband. 

Thomas J. Lyon was reared on his father's 
farm, where he remained until he was thirteen 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



103 



years old, receiving a very limited education. 
At that age he began painting pails and tubs 
at Troy, New Hampshire, which occupied his 
attention for about nine years. In 1847, '" 
his twenty-third year, he went to Rutland, Vt., 
and was engaged, for several years, in the liv- 
ery business. During the Civil War, in com- 
pany with others, he bought horses, which he 
sold to the Government. They furnished 
many horses to the Union army, for which the 
Government owed large amounts, at times. 

January 9, 1873, Mr. Lyon took possession 
of his bakery, situated in his handsome brick 
block, on the corner of Center and Wales 
streets. This handsome structure was built, 
in 1868, by Daniel Verder, of whom Mr. 
Lyon purchased it. Mr. Lyon conducted a 
bakery there for a period of eighteen years, 
and enjoyed a prosperous trade, in crackers, 
etc., with traveling men, — selling from forty* 
to fifty thousand dollars' worth a year. He 
gave such close attention and long hours to 
the business, that his healtii began to fail and 
he was obliged to take a rest, which he ob- 
tained by selling out, in 1891. Mr. Lyon re- 
sides at his fine home at No. 54, Prospect 
street, which he built and moved into, in 1868. 
On January 14, 1857, he was united in mar- 
riage with Caroline S. Hunt, of New Hamp- 
shire, a daughter of Manning Hunt. This most 
happy union was blessed with one daughter, 
Harriet A., who was educated at Saxton River 
Seminary, after which she followed the pro- 
fession of teaching. She was a faithful and 
valued teacher in the Rutland schools, and was 
in feeble health for two years before her death, 



which took place on September 5, 1896, in her 
thirty-eighth year. She also possessed a great 
deal of musical talent, and was a lady of good 
sense and tact, and a consistent member of the 
Baptist church at the time of her death. The 
death of this beloved daughter was a terrible 
blow to her parents, especially to her mother, 
whose burdened heart and bowed frame are 
ripening for the grave, to which the living are 
all tending step by step, — each pulsation of 
the heart shortening their stay here. 

Mr. Lyon is a master Mason, and in politics, 
a Republican, and he has been drafted into the 
service of his party as trustee of Rutland. He 
is also a trustee of the Baptist church, of which 
he has been a member and a supporter, for 
fifteen years. 

The subject of this narrative was one of the 
directors of the Baxter Bank for about twelve 
years, and a trustee of the Rutland Savings 
Bank ; he is also a director of the Howe Scale 
Company. Mr. Lyon sold half of his bakery 
property and rents half; he owns a double 
tenement house on Crescent street, and an- 
other at the junction of Main street and 
Strong avenue ; he also owns a part of the 
Baxter Bank building, which is one of the fin- 
est structures in Rutland. Besides this, he 
has owned other valuable residence and busi- 
ness property in Rutland. He built the excel- 
lent residence now occupied by Judge James 
Barrett, and other residences, which he sold ; 
he owned one-third of a valuable hotel prop- 
erty, — "the Bardwell House," — which he also 
sold, and for the past few years he has been 
taking his well-earned and much needed rest. 



104 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Starting in life a poor boy, his fine property 
has been acciuired honestly and slowly by in- 
dustry and economy. At the age of twenty, 
his father gave him his time, and when he 
reached his twenty-first year, he hail saved 
$ioo. He has never felt richer in his life than 
he did then. 

Mr. Lyon is recognized as one of the solid 
men of Rutland county, who deserve much 
credit for their success in life, they having 
always paid too cents on the dollar, and led 
an honest and upright life before their fellow- 
men and their God. 



-T-^"^ RI \V. HORNER, a retired railroad 
K| official of Rutland, Vermont, was 

born in Granby, Province of Que- 
bec, Canada, March 26, 1830. He is a son of 
Hobart S. and Elizabeth (Allard) Horner, and 
grandson of Thomas Horner of Cambridge, 
Vermont, who reared nine sons and one 
daughter, all reaching adult age; all had fami- 
lies of their own, soiue of these families being 
large. His sons were generally farmers in 
Vermont, and a few went to Canada; some of 
later generations are living in the West. 
Thomas Horner died in middle life, and his 
widow married again at a later period, and 
finally died in Cambridge, and was buried by 
her first husband's side. 

Hobart S. Horner, father of Eri W., was 
born at Cambridge, Vt., May 12, 1796. He 
was united in marriage with Elizabeth Allard. 
Their union was celebrated, in 1823, in 
Granby, when the bride was only eighteen 



years old. Mrs. Horner was a daughter of 
Jonathan and Elizabeth (Berry) Allard, and 
was born in New Hampshire in 1805, but was 
taken by her parents to Granby, Province of 
Quebec, when only three years of age, 
Hobart S. Horner was a practical farmer, and 
he and his good wife were blessed with thir- 
teen children, three of whom died in early 
childhood, while five sons and five daughters 
grew to maturity. Those who grew up are : 
Silas A. ; Laura Ann ; Eri W. ; Hobart ; Simon ; 
Bertha ; Henry A. ; Elizabeth ; Clara and Lu- 
cinda. Silas A. died in Stoneham, Mass., in 
the fortieth year of his life, leaving a widow 
and two children. Laura Ann was twice mar- 
ried ; her first husband was Thomas Penney, 
by whom she had one daughter; after his 
death she contracted a second matrimonial 
alliance with Duncan McKenzie, which re- 
sulted in the birth of one son. She died in 
Boston, Mass., July, 1896, aged seventy years. 
Eri \V. is the subject of this sketch. Hobart 
was a volunteer in the Lnion army during 
the Civil War ; he was a member of the Ver- 
mont Cavalry, and was shot while on picket 
duty, leaving a widow and one son in St. 
Johnsbury, Vermont. Simon resides in Bos- 
ton, where he has charge of a lumber yard ; he 
has three sons and one daughter. Bertha died 
in young womanhood. Henry A. was a soldier 
in a Michigan regiment during the Rebel- 
lion; his death occurred in Boston, in 1897. 
Elizabeth was married in Michigan, where 
she died at about the age of thirty years, leav- 
ing one daughter. Clara is the widow of De- 
witt Hendrickson, whom she married in 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



105 



Michigan; she now resides in the town of 
Brandon, A^ermont. Lucinda is the wife of 
George W. Burt of Burlington, Vt. ; they have 
three children. 

Hobart S. Horner and family removed from 
Vermont to Michigan, where his death oc- 
curred at the age of sixty-nine years; his 
widow returned to Vermont and finally died 
in Boston in 1880, having attained the age of 
seventy-five years. She was a great worker, 
from youth to old age. When but seventeen 
years old, she resided with a family, who lived 
near the woods. One day the family went 
away from home leaving her to care for a lit- 
tle girl. Soon after their departure, Elizabeth 
heard the pigs squealing, and upon going out 
to ascertain the cause, discovered a bear in the 
pig pen ; with the child upon her back, she 
succeeded in driving the bear out of the pen 
into the swamp, using no weapon but a large 
pair of tongs. She was a woman of great 
energy, courage, and endurance. But a short 
time prior to her death, she did her own wash- 
ing at home, and went to visit her daughter 
in Boston. Arriving there, she found her 
daughter had left her washing and gone to bed 
with a headache ; she proceeded to do her 
daughter's washing, also preparing tea for the 
family and was ag fresh as usual. Her mother, 
Elizabeth Berry, was a woman of great 
strength and endurance. When ninety 
years old, she walked three miles to 
work and back home again at night, 
ha\'ing spun a day's work of forty knots 
of woolen yarn. Her death took place in 
Illinois, at the advanced age of ninety-three 



years. The mother of our subject was a most 
practical woman and could do all kinds of 
work in the house and out of doors. She 
could take the liax from the field and weave 
it into thread that would hold the fabric ; tak- 
ing the wool and carding the same, she wove 
it into cloth and then made the cloth into 
garments. In fact, she was equal to the emer- 
gencies and privations of those primitive times. 
The subject of our sketch cherishes many 
tender memories and treasures up many in- 
teresting reminiscences in connection with his 
mother's life. 

Eri W. Horner was reared to farm life and 
labor; as he lived four miles from school, he 
received but thirty days' schooling up to his 
fifteenth year, and during the following two 
winters obtained the most of his school-train- 
ing. In March, 1847, at the age of seventeen 
years, he left home on foot and walked from 
Granby, Province of Quebec, to Manchester, 
New Hampshire. Arriving at Manchester, he 
worked one year for a farmer, toiling on 
the farm during summer at twelve dollars a 
month, and laboring in the lumber woods dur- 
ing winter at ten dollars a month. This be 
thought a grand chance and he enjoyed his 
hard work and rough experience. The next 
two summers were spent working in a brick- 
yard in New Hampshire. In 1849, Mr. Hor- 
ner began his railroad career by entering the 
service of the Rutland & Burlington R. R. ; 
he was stationed at Burlington, and put on 
the track repair gang at $1 per day, out of 
which he paid his board. He was soon ad- 
vanced to be second hand, next to the fore- 



106 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



manship. at $1.25 per day, and in April, 185 1, 
was made section foreman at $1.50 per day, 
and stationed at Brandon, Vermont. Soon 
after this, the subject of our sketch was united 
in marriage with Betsey R. Morgan of New 
Hampshire, whom lie met while working 
there. But for her sake, he would have gone 
to California in 1849, or 1850, — having an 
ofifer of $100 per month to go as a gold digger. 
Mrs. Horner was a daughter of Amos and 
Betsey (Russ) Morgan, worthy and well-to-do 
residents of New Hampshire, who reared ten 
children. 

Mr. and Mrs. Horner were blessed with four 
children : Amos Morgan ; Eva ; Mary Jane, 
and Eri W. Amos Morgan was railroad engi- 
neer in Texas for many years, and is now re- 
siding on his ranch, or farm, of one hundred 
and seventy acres. He wedded Hattie Smith of 
Pittsford, \'t. ; his wife is deceased, and he 
has one son living. Eva is the wife of George 
E. Richardson, of Maine ; they went to Mas- 
sachusetts from Rutland, and in 1895, ^^' 
moved to Denver, Colorado. They have five 
children, two sons and three daughters. Their 
eldest son, Eri Horner, is a fine, promising 
boy of fourteen years ; he is now attending 
school, and is a hustler; Eva Agnes is aged 
twelve years ; Cornelius Thomas is aged ten 
years; Helen Brewster (named for a May- 
flower Brewster on her father's side), is aged 
seven years; and Lucy is aged four years. 
Mary Jane is the wife of E. A. Stewart, of Los 
Angeles, Cal., where Mrs. Stewart went for 
her health. They have two children, namely: 
Elbridge Hadley, aged twelve years; and 



Katherine Moore, aged five years. The sub- 
ject of this sketch is one of the few men who 
prize real worth and honest industry more 
than all else. This would be a better world 
were there more such plain, honest-hearted 
men of modesty, truth, and candor, who are 
not always appreciated while living. Such 
men are the pure gold that is worth more 
than all the shining dross. Mr. Horner has 
not only been a very healthy man but has 
been very successful, having acquired a hand- 
some competency. Besides his present resi- 
dence at No. 45, Prospect street, where he 
settled in 1868, he owns much valuable real 
estate, — having in all sixteen tenants. All this 
property has been earned in a legitimate way, 
in addition to which he has done much to as- 
sist his children, and others as well. 

]\lr. Horner was made roadmaster of the 
northern division of the Rutland R. R., and 
later of the whole road, which responsible and 
arduous position was filled by him in a most 
capable manner. For forty-three years, while 
in the employ of the company in various posi- 
tions, he lost not an hour from his duties, and 
was without a substitute at any time. As the 
subject hereof was born in Canada, but of 
American parents, he was not really a for- 
eigner, as he returned to the "States" during 
his minority. Nevertheless, he took the pre- 
caution to take out naturalization papers, and 
has been a supporter of the Republican party. 

The beloved wife of Mr. Horner was called 
to her heavenly home, October 7, 1897, at the 
age of sixty-eight. She was in frail health 
some years previous to her death and for five 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



107 



years was a great sufiferer from a bronchial ail- 
ment, which eventually caused heart disease. 
She was a most patient and heroic sufferer, to 
whom death came as a sweet release. For 
more than forty years she and Mr. Horner 
were members of the Baptist church, which 
they joined in Brandon, Vermont. Upon set- 
tling in Rutland, in 1864, they immediately 
united with the Baptist church there, where 
their record as earnest, Christian workers is 
well known. Since 1871, Mr. Horner has been 
a deacon of that denomination. April 26. 
1899, Mr. Horner was again married, Mrs. 
Alma A. Holden of East Randolph, Vt., be- 
coming his wife. She is a daughter of Lar- 
nard L. and Esther Amanda ( ) 

Persons, now residing in East Randolph, Vt. 

By a former marriage with Walter R. Hol- 
den, Mrs. Horner had one son, Harley W., 
who survives and resides in Baltimore, where 
he is attending Baltimore Dental College. He 
is married. 

The subject of this biography has always 
been a man of domestic habits and has ever 
been devoted to his home and his business. 
During his many years of faithful railroad 
service, he made a record which few have 
equaled, not only with his company but with 
the traveling public. He could travel over all 
the railroads in the U. S. and but few, if any, 
would collect fare from the "veteran railroad 
man of Vermont." He has never traveled 
much, but took a trip to the Golden Gate in 
the winter of 1897 and 1898, visiting his chil- 
dren in California and in Denver, Colorado. 
Jie returned by way of Chicago, and took in 



the sights of the "Windy City," or "Metropo- 
lis of the West." When he went to his room 
at the Great Northern Hotel, being a cautious 
man, he was a little shy about sleeping on the 
fourth or fifth floor, but the following morn- 
ing when he found he was on the eleventh 
from the top, he was somewhat relieved and 
congratulated himself upon being assigned a 
room, comparatively, so near the ground. 




,YRON MOREHOUSE DIKE- 
MAN, who is one of the oldest 
native-born residents of Rutland 
county, Vermont, is now enjoying life at the 
advanced age of ninety-one years. He has 
long been one of the foremost citizens of the 
county and is a well-known capitalist, being 
financially interested in numerous banks and 
other business ventures. He was born one 
mile north of his present farm in Hubbard- 
ton, on June 29, 1809, and is a son of Perry 
and Zilpha (Morehouse) Dikeman. 

Frederick Dikeman, the grandfather of our 
subject, was born in Reading, Fairfield county, 
Conn., in 1760, but at an early age moved to 
Ballston, N. Y. He was a soldier in the Rev- 
olutionary War. In 1796, he removed to 
Hubbardton, Vermont, where he settled upon 
the farm now owned by our subject, and there, 
in addition to farming, followed the trade of a 
shoemaker until his death in 1848. He was 
joined in marriage four times, ■> having chil- 
dren by his first wife only. He first married 
Mabel (Couch) Meeker, who by her first hus- 
band had a number of children, one pf her 



108 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



sons being Daniel Meeker, who became a 

prominent hotel man. The following children 
blessed her union with Mr. Dikcman : Lydia, 
born August 8, 1781 ; Sarah, born December 
13, 1784; Perry, the father of our subject; 
Uriah, born March 5, 1790; and Azor, born 
January 20, 1794. 

Perry Dikeman was bnrn in Ballston, N. Y., 
March 18, 1788. and in the spring of 1816 he 
came into jjossession of the farm owned by 
onr subject. He resided u|)on it until 1837 
when he purchased the farm adjoining the 
one wiiich George \V. Dikeman afterward 
owned for many years, and there he lived until 
his death. He was an honest and industrious 
man and worked his way from a small begin- 
ning to a place of high respectability in the 
community, and at the time of his death 
owned three farms. Politically, he was quite 
active and, besides holding all the town offices, 
represented the town in the state legislature 
in 185 1 and 1852. Mr. Dikeman died on 
August 14, 1871, and his widow in the follow- 
ing November, and they lie buried in the cem- 
etery near the old battle ground at East Hub- 
bardton, where a $1,000 monument was 
erected to their memory by their sons. Their 
two children were Myron Morehouse, our sub- 
ject ; and George \V. George W. Dikeman 
was born Janu,iry 5, 181 5, and died on the 
farm adjoining his brother's, July 10, 1896, 
being survived by his wife only. He held a 
large amount of bank stock, mortgages and 
U. S. bonds; he had held all the town offices, 
and represented the town in the General As- 
sembly, in 1888-89. 



Myron Morehouse Dikehian received only 
a common school education and early received 
training in the rudiments of hard work, i)re- 
paring him for the life of great industry which 
he has since led. He taught school for one 
\car begimiing in 1828, and in whatever line 
of work he engaged he managed to save 
money, and this he wisely and safely invested 
in such a manner as to yield him large returns. 
He has been a stockholder in the First Na- 
tional Bank of Fair Haven, the Castleton 
Bank; the Killington National Bank; the 
Merchants Bank of Rutland; the Rutland 
Trust Company; and the Poultney Bank. He 
was also interested in the old Poultney bank, 
in the failure of which he lost $3,000. He has 
$10,000 in\-ested in U. S. bonds which he has 
held for more than thirty years, and which will 
no doubt be a part of his estate upon his 
death. In 1875, he was appointed one of a 
committee of three to settle insolvent estates 
in the town, thus avoiding litigation. 

On September 3. 1829. at the age of twenty 
years, Mr. Dikeman was united in marriage 
with EKira J. Robinson, who was reared on 
a neighboring farm, ha\-ing l:)een born a few 
months before our sui)ject, on January 11, 
1809, and their union resulted in the birth of 
eleven children, as follows: Maria; Myron 
Munson ; Schuyler M. ; Orphena M. ; Sarah J. ; 
Henrietta; Ellen E. ; Harley G. ; Emma L. ; 
Zilpha; and Albert G. Maria, who was born 
May 8, 1830, married Leland Mott, and died 
in 1863, leaving one daughter, Elvira, now the 
wife of R. E. St. John. Myron Munson was 
born October 14, 1831, and died May 30, 




SAMUEL MORGAN WILLSON. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



111 



1889, — he married Alzina Bidwell. and two 
children resulted. Perry and Lillian. Schuyler 
M. was born January 21, 1833, and married 
Emma L. Lincoln. October 6, 1864. and they 
have two children living': C'lertrude. the wife 
of Rev. C. H. Corwin of Calumet. Michigan; 
and Stella M. Their third child. Adella. died 
at the age of nine years. Schuyler M. Dike- 
man has held the ofifices of town clerk and 
town treasurer for twenty-two successive 
years, and was elected the twenty-third time, 
but resigned. He has been justice of the peace 
for twenty-three years and is still in office. He 
has also held the offices of constable, collec- 
tor and superintendent of schools, and repre- 
sented the town in the General Assembly in 
1896-97. Orphena M. was born May 19, 
1834, and became the wife of D. S. Lincoln, 
who was the father of Mrs. Schuyler M. Dike- 
man ; she died on April 7. 1859, without issue. 
Sarah J., born April 9. 1836, is the wife of 
Stephen Hatch. Henrietta, born February 
25, 1839, and died July 3, 1863, was the wife 
of John G. Daigneau, and had one son, Emer- 
son. Ellen E., born April 16, 1841, was the 
wife of Henry Allard ; had one son, Bertram, 
and died November 14, 1869. Harley G. was 
born February 21, 1843, and died November 
21, 1864. Emma L., born June 15, 1845, mar- 
ried Dudley Hulett, then John W. Hulett, by 
whom she has one child, and is now the wife 
of Norman Wightman. Zilpha was born 
March 31, 1847, married Moses Hulett, had 
one son, Bennie, and died May 8, 1881. Albert 
G., the youngest of the family, was bom June 
8, 1849, ^"d died July 30, 1875. Mrs. Dike- 



man was called to her rest in the world beyond 
on November 27, 1892. Mr. Dikeman is a 
stanch Republican, but has never been an of- 
fice seeker, although he has served in the 
capacity of selectman and lister in his town. 
He is a man of pleasing personality, an enter- 
taining conversationalist, and is held in the 
highest esteem by a large circle of friends, 
in whose midst he has alwavs lived. 




AMUEL MORGAN WILLSON, an 
enterprising and successful business 
man of Rutland, \'ermout, where he 
is well known as a wholesale coal dealer, han- 
dles the coal of the Delaware & Hudson 
Canal Co., which finds a ready market in Ver- 
mont and New Hampshire. Mr. Willson re- 
sides at No. 71 Grove street in the house 
built by his honored father which our subject 
now owns in addition to other valuable real 
estate in Rutland. He is a director of the 
Clement National Bank, of the Killington Na- 
tional Bank, and of the Moseley & Stoddard 
Manufacturing Company. He is also presi- 
dent of the Peoples' Gas Light Company, and 
is a stockholder in the Howe Scale Company. 
Samuel Morgan Willson was born In Rut- 
land, Vermont, October i, 1857. He is a son 
of Zacheus Van Kuren and Elsie (Morgan) 
Willson, and grandson of Samuel Willson of 
Montgomery, Orange county, N. Y. 

The paternal ancestors of our subject were 
preachers and his great-uncle, Robert Will- 
son, was not only an able divine but was also 
a most pronounced and earnest advocate of 



112 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



the cause of anti-slavery. He it was who made 
a wonderful and most powerful anti-slavery 
prayer at the opening of the legislature in 
Albany, New York, for which he was "hung 
in effigy," and his library burned. 

The founder of the Willson family in Amer- 
ica was one Zacheus Willson, who at some 
time during the interval between 1713 and 
1720 settled in the coal district of Franklin 
county, Pa. His son, James Willson, left the 
coal region of Pennsylvania, and went with 
his youngest son, Zacheus, to the forks of the 
"S'oughiogheny River, in Allegheny county. 
Pa. Zacheus, the next in line, had seven 
sons, whose names are : James R. ; Aaron ; 
Isaac ; James Zacheus ; Robert ; Samuel Mc- 
Connell ; and Samuel M., grandfather of our 
subject. 

Samuel M. Willson was born in Allegheny 
county, Pa., in July, 1796. He was a minister 
of the Covenanters of the Old School, and 
was of Scotch ancestry. He was a teacher 
and a preacher in Albany, N. Y., where his 
brother James was an able divine of the same 
denomination. These brothers were members 
of a large family of seven sons and two daugh- 
ters; three of this family went to Burlington, 
Iowa, where their numerous descendants are 
now to be found. Samuel Willson died Jan- 
uary 21, 1864, in Montgomery, Orange coun- 
ty, N. Y. 

Zacheus Van Kuren Willson, father of our 
subject, was born in Coldenham, N. Y., in 
1825. He began his career as a dry goods 
clerk in New York City, but subsequently 
went to St. Johns, Proyince of Quebec (Can- 



ada), as clerk for the Lake Champlain Trans- 
portation Company. After his marriage, in 
1852, Mr. Willson went to Rutland, where he 
was station agent and afterward passenger 
conductor for the Rutland & Washington 
R. R. now a branch of the Delaware & Hud- 
son R. R. He remained in the employ of 
that road for many years being also master 
of transportation and assistant superintend- 
ent, and for ten years or more prior to his 
death he was their coal agent : when his son 
Samuel became of age, Mr. Willson took him 
in as a partner in the coal business, and was 
succeeded by Samuel at his death. 

The elder Mr. Willson was a Republican, 
and held minor offices, among them, justice 
of the peace. Fraternally he was a Mason, 
and also a Knight Templar. He represented 
Rutland in the State Legislature about the 
year 1874. In their religious convictions, 
both he and his wife were Episcopalians, and 
reared their children in the same belief. Mr. 
Willson's death was sudden and entirely un- 
expected, — he dropped dead at the railroad 
station on the twenty-seventh day of March, 
188 1, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. Mrs. 
Willson was born Elsie A. Morgan, a daugh- 
ter of David an<l Elsie (Wallace) Morgan. 

David Morgan was but seven years old 
when his father, who also bore the name of 
David, was drowned at sea, being a mariner. 
David was a machinist by trade and both 
he and his wife were Methodists. Five chil- 
dren were given to them, four of whom they 
reared, namely: David G., who resides in 
Berlin, N, H. ; Elsie A., mother of our sub- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



113 



ject ; Mary J., wife of George Dunklee, for- 
merly of Rutland, Vermont, now of Boston, 
Mass.; and Johannah, wife of Charles E. Pal- 
mer, of Concord, N. H., — Mrs. Palmer died 
in middle age. leaving an infant son. 

Our subject's parents were blessed witli two 
children; one son, the suljject of this sketch; 
and one daughter, Carrie, who still resides in 
Rutland with her mother to whom she is de- 
votedly attached. 

Samuel Morgan Willson was educated in 
the common schools of Rutland and at the 
age of fifteen years began a railroad career 
as fireman which he followed for some 
months. His next business was sawing wood 
for the railroad in company with others under 
the firm name of Chase & Willson, — Mr. 
Chase being roadmaster for the Rutland & 
Burlington R. R. These gentlemen sawed 
and moved the wood for the engines accord- 
ing to special contracts with the railroad; 
their business prospered and the firm con- 
tinued in business for about six years. Mr. 
Willson then joined his father in the coal busi- 
ness, as previously mentioned, the firm becom- 
ing at that time Willson & Son. Since the 
death of the elder Mr. Willson, the same bus- 
iness has been conducted under the name of 
S. M. Willson, who purchased the entire bus- 
iness in 1886. 

October 12, 1881, our subject was joined 
in the holy bonds of matrimony with Carrie 
M. Wickham of Rutland. Mrs. Willson is a 
daughter of Rollin Wickham, who died in 
October, 1892, aged sixty-one years, leaving 
a widow and three children, namely : Mrs. 



Willson ; Earle, who makes his home with 
his mother; and Julia N., who is the wife of 
Grant N. Otis, of Poultney, Vermont, to 
whom she was married June 21, 1899. 

Mr. Willson and wife have only one son, 
Earle V. K., a bright, manly boy of nine years, 
who is a great comfort to his fond parents. Mr. 
Willson, like his honored father, is a Repub- 
lican and an Episcopalian. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Elks. 

Our subject is an ardent worker in the in- 
terests of Rutland, and is always ready to give 
substantial aid to any worthy enterprise that 
has in view the advancement of the interests 
of the city. He is responsive to charitable 
appeals and occupies an important position 
as a man of standing in the community, and 
it is with feelings of pleasure that the publish- 
ers of this work are enabled to announce that 
his portrait accompanies this sketch. 




J. FRANCISCO was born on Aug- 
ust 5, 1835, at West Haven, Vt., 
and is a son of John Francisco 
who was one of the early pioneers of West 
Haven, — moving there in 1795. The father of 
Mr. Francisco participated in the War of 1812, 
and at the battle of Plattsburg was one of 
the famous Green Mountain Boys ; after the 
battle he returned to Ticonderoga on one of 
Commodore MacDonough's vessels, and 
marched from that place to West Haven, 
which was his home for eighty-three years. 
He was Horace Greeley's first preceptor. 
M. J. Francisco is a lineal descendant of 



114 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Miles Standish aiid John Alden, being a 
grandson of Daniel Sampson and Mary 
Woods, a great-grandson of William and 
Judith (Merrill) Sampson, a great-great- 
grandson of Jonathan and Mary (Chandler) 
Sampson, a great-great-great-grandson of 
David and Mary (Chapin) Sampson, and a 
great-great-great-great-grandson of Caleb 
Sampson and Mercy Standish, who was a 
daughter of Alexander Standish, the eldest 
son of Miles Standish. The mother of Mercy 
Standish was the daughter of John Alden. He 
is the great-great-great-great-great-grandson 
of Henry Sampson and Ann I'lumnier of the 
company of Pilgrims who came to Plymouth 
on the Mayflower, in 1620. 

Mr. Francisco's early education was ob- 
tained at Castleton, (Vt.) Seminary. In 1852, 
he left Vermont for Ohio to enter Oberlin Col- 
lege, and after completing his studies in that 
institution spent several years in traveling 
through the western and southern states, 
visiting every state then admitted to the 
Union. Returning from his southern and west- 
ern journey, he entered Albany College 
and after his graduation from that institution, 
was apptMuted itrincijial of the Xortlnvestern 
College at Port Wayne, Indiana. Residing 
there during the first years of the Rebellion, 
he took an active part in raising volunteers, 
incurring the displeasure and opposition of 
the Knights of the (lolden Circle and the Klu 
Klux Klan, and was tinallv inxolved in a riot 
incited by members of these disloyal organi- 
zations. 

In 1863, Mr. Franci-sco married II. Mar- 



garet Holmes, a daughter of Israel Holmes, 
of Waterbury, Connecticut. Mr. Holmes was 
the originator and founder of the brass in- 
dustry in the I'nitcd States, and was directly 
connected with the establislnnenl of the 
largest brass manufacturing concerns of Con- 
necticut. He held extensive interests in Con- 
necticut and Xew ^'ork Cit\' at the time of his 
death, the care of which devolved upon Mr. 
Francisco as trustee of his estate. Mrs. Fran- 
cisco is a lineal descendant of Sir Ellis Hicks, 
who w;ts knighted 'by Edward, the Black 
FVince, on the field of Poitiers, September 9, 
1456. She traces her descent through Israel 
and Ardelia (Hayden) Holmes, to Abigail 
Shephard and Daniel Hayden, to Major Jo- 
seph Shephard and Abigail Hodges, to Lieu- 
tenant Elijah Hodges and Elizabeth Reed, to 
Thomas Reed and Sarah Tisdale, to Joseph 
Tisdale and Marv Leonard, who were mar- 
ried in 1 68 1, to Major Thomas Leonard and 
Mary Watson, to Ensign Watson and Phoebe 
Hicks, to Robert Hicks and Margaret Wins- 
low, to James Hicks and Phoebe Allyn, to 
Rupert Hicks and Evesond. to Thomas Hicks 
and Margaret Atwood, to John Hicks of 
Gloucester, England, the lined descendant of 
Sir Ellis Hicks. 

Leaving Fort Wayne, Ind., M. J. Fran- 
cisco accepted the presidency of the Pennsyl- 
\ania College of Trade and Finance at Harris- 
burg, Pa., whore he org;uiized a large and 
flourishing institution in which nian\' men who 
are now ])rominent in state and national affairs 
received their first knowledge of commercial 
principles. After several years of close appli- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



115 



cation in the management of the college, fail- 
ing health compelled him to relin<|uish his 
position, and he returned to his nati\e state, 
where at its mineral springs he found renewed 
vigor, and entered upon that sphere of activity 
which was destined to he of wider scope than 
that of jMTceding years. He has made his 
name familiar in c\'ery citv in the United 
States. When the English Fire Insurance 
companies were negotiating for admission into 
the L'nited States, Mr. Francisco was ten- 
dered and assumed the general management 
for Vermont of the North British and Mer- 
cantile Insurance Company of Edinburgh, 
and the Liverpool and London and Globe 
Insurance Company, of London. He was af- 
terwards made manager of the Vermont, New 
Hampshire, and Northern New York depart- 
ments of several other large companies. It 
was while in the service of these corporations 
that he made his memorable argument before 
the joint committee of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives in opposition to the 
"valued policy bill." He has also the dis- 
tinction of writing the largest fire-insurance 
policy ever issued in New England, — the face 
value of which was $2,100,000. He has made 
a record which marks him as the most success- 
ful fire-insurance manager in the state. 

In 1887, he was elected president of the 
Rutland Electric Light Company, and a mem- 
ber of the American Institute of Electrical 
Engineers, since which period he has devoted 
much time and energy in furthering the in- 
troduction of electricity into general use. At 
the Providence (R. I.) convention of the Na- 



tional Electric Light Association of the 
L'nited States, he was elected second vice- 
president ; at the St. Louis (Mo.) convention 
he was made first vice-president, and at the 
convention in Washington, D. C, he was 
elected president. His first work on electric 
lighting was published in 1890, and went 
through two editions. Two editions were 
printed of his review of the Postmaster Gen- 
eral's Limited Post and Telegraph bill, — an 
argument delivered before a committee of the 
L^nited States Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives at Washington, D. C, in 1891. In 
1893, he was called before the Massachusetts 
Legislature as an expert on the subject of mu- 
nicipal ownership, and also before the Con- 
necticut Legislature, in 1897. He is the au- 
thor of "Municipal Ownership, — -Its Fallacy," 
which w-ent through four editions ; also of 
"Government, State and Municipal Owner- 
ship," and of "Municipal Ownership versus 
Private Corporations," — wdiich has already 
reached its fifth edition. He has contributed 
numerous articles to the leading magazines 
and journals, both in this country and Europe, 
being acknowdedged as the best authority of 
the day upon this problem. He has been 
called to nearly all the leading cities of the 
United States to discuss the subject. 

Mr. Francisco is ex-president of the Rut- 
land Association of Underwriters, and a di- 
rector of the Rutland Trust Company. He is 
president of the Holmes & Griggs Manufac- 
turing Company, of New York, and is senior 
member of the firm of M. J. Francisco & Sons; 
the other members being his two sons, L 



1 



116 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Holmes and Don C. Francisco. For many 
years he has l)een a memljer of the Masonic 
fraternity. 




l-.WrS J. FORTTF.R. the efficient sec- 
retary and treasurer of the Newton & 
Tliompson Manufactnrino; Com- 
pany of I'.randon. \ erniont, was horn at For- 
est Dale, June i, 1842. He is a son of Fran- 
cis and Harriet (Shoro) Fortier, and grand- 
son of Lewis Fortier. 

Lewis Fortier was a native of Canada. He 
left his native country ahout 1835, and located 
in Forest Dale, Rutland county, Vermont. He 
reared four sons and four daughters. One 
son, Lewis, is still living and makes his iiome 
with his nephew, Lewis J. He is well pre- 
served at eighty-eight years of age. 

Francis Fortier was horn at St. Johns, Can- 
ada, in August. 1818. He died in Forest 
Dale as recently as 1896. Ahout 1838, he 
was joined in marriage with Harriet Shoro, 
also of Canadian nativity. Twelve children 
hlessed this union, namely: Francis, Lewis 
J. (suhject of this sketch). Rose. Laura, Julia, 
Harriet, Victoria, Edward T.. Leah, Melvina, 
Addel, and Carrie Bell, who died at the age 
of twelve years. 

Francis died at the early age of nineteen ; 
Rose married George Lassard, of Brandon. 
Laura is the widow of Solomon Lassard. She 
resides in Cohoes, New York. Julia resides 
in Boston. Harriet married Thomas Hand- 
held, of Canada. \'ictoria is the widow of 
Frederick Disordie of Burlington. Edward 



T. joined the regular army of the L^nited 
States and was lost track of. Leah married 
Edmund Rickert. She died in Brattleboro, 
Vermont, and left two children. Melvina 
married Francis Forcia. She resides in Bran- 
don with her mother, who is now seventy 
years old. Addel also lives in Boston. Fran- 
cis Fortier was a blacksmith, by trade. Dur- 
ing the Civil War, he went into the Union 
army and served three years as blacksniitli. 
He owned a good farm in Brandon, which is 
now the property of his widow'. 

Lewis J. Fortier attended Brandon Acad- 
emy, taking a finishing course in the Rutland 
Business College. He remained at home and 
conducted the farm while his father was in 
the war. At the age of twenty-two years, he 
went to Michigan. After spending a \e;u- 
there, he returned to Forest Dale, where he 
has remained ever since. In 1866. he was 
united in marriage with Alsina Fortier. a 
cousin. Seven children blessed this union, 
three of whom are now deceased. Four 
daughters are still living, named Rose, Mena. 
Carrie Bell, and Maud. Rose married Lewis 
Shoro and has three children. Mena married 
Derric Boudreau, of Schenectady. New York. 
Carrie Bell was educated in the convent at St. 
Johns. She is still at home, as is also her sis- 
ter, Maud. Both young ladies are refined and 
possess musical talent. 

Mr. Fortier has been connected with the 
pill box factory about forty years. He began 
at the bottom when seventeen years of age. 
and has lieen there ever since, with the excep- 
tion of the time spent upon the farm, and in 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



117 



Michigan. He has filled every position, includ- 
ing even that of bookkeeper, which he filled 
twelve years. Fifteen years ago he became a 
stockholder, and is now secretary and treas- 
urer of the company. He does nearly all tl^ 
traveling for the concern, which is the leading 
and longest established Inisiness of its kind in 
the United States. In it an average of about 
one hundred men are constantly at work and 
frequently as many as one hundred and twenty 
are employed at one time. 

Mr. Fortier is full of push and energy and 
is a valuable acquisition to the firm. In poli- 
tics, he is a Republican. His own beautiful 
home in Forest Dale is a model of neatness 
and comfort. He is a man of sound judg- 
ment, broad intelligence, and good business 
ability. 




jRS. MARIA LOUIS, a worthy and 
highly respected lady of Fair 
Haven, Vermont, is the widow 
of the late John B. Louis, who died June 8, 
1895. 

John B. Louis was born in Canada, January 
I, 1822. He was reared on a farm near the 
scene of his birth, but left Canada during the 
Canadian War. He was then fifteen years of 
age, and had never known a mother's care, for 
that loved parent died when he was two years 
old. He then spent one year in Middlesex, 
Vt., and moved thence to the town of Ira. 
January 17, 1844, Mr. Louis was joined in 
marriage with Maria Butler, the subject 
hereof. Mrs. Louis was born at Parishville, 



St. Lawrence county, New York. She is a 
daughter of Jacob and Susan (Brown) Butler, 
respected citizens of Tinmouth, Vermont. Mr. 
Butler was an expert blacksmith, of that place. 
He and his worthy wife had one son and five 
daughters, but lost one daughter. Mrs. Louis 
has but one sister living, Susan, wife of E. B. 
Lord, of Shrewsbury, Vermont. Their mother 
died at the early age of thirty years wdien the 
subject of this sketch was but seven years of 
age. Their father contracted a second matri- 
monial alliance, and reared three daughters by 
his second wife. They are still living. He 
died when sixty-two years old, and is buried 
in Tinmouth, while the mother of Mrs. Louis 
sleeps in Parishville, New York. Mrs. Louis 
was the recipient of but a common school 
education. She was only seventeen years old 
at the time of her marriage. Five children 
were born to her and her husband, namely : 
Mary, John J., Charles S., Alta M., and 
Bertha. Mary died at seven years of age, and 
Bertha at the age of two and a half years. 
John J. is a physician and druggist in Youngs - 
town, Ohio. Charles S. resides in South Read- 
ing, Vermont. He has a wife and six children. 
Mr. Louis was a stanch Republican. He 
enlisted as a volunteer in the Union army, 
from Middletown, Vermont, in 1862. He 
went in as a private in Company B, 14th Reg., 
Vermont Vol. Infantry. He was wounded, 
and lost the fingers of his right hand. Erysip- 
elas ensued, and he came near losing his life. 
He was a member of the G. A. R. Born a 
Catholic, he was persuaded to join the Bap- 
tist church, while yet young. Before his mar- 



118 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



riage, Mr. Louis lived seven years in Ira, with 
Leonard Mason, a deacon of tlie Baptist 
clnux-h, wliose efforts changed his rehgious 
belief. Mrs. Louis is also a member of the 
same church with which she united when but 
sixteen years old. 

The subject of this sketch and her husband 
Ijegan life most humblv. Bv industry and 
economy, however, they saved up enough 
money to ])urcliase a fine little farm, witliin the 
village of Fair Haven. \'t., where Mrs. 
Louis still lives. Mr. and Mrs. Louis spent 
fifty years of hap])y married life together. They 
were absolutely devoted to each other. Mr. 
Louis was a kind and considerate husband, 
and an affectionate father. His death was a 
sad blow to his family and friends, and, most 
especially, to his berea\c(l companion, who 
still misses him sadly. His remains now rest 
in the Middletown (\'t.) cemetery. 




|RS. JANE WESTCOTT, widow of 
the late Hamilton Westcott, resides 
in Fair Haven, Rutland county, 
\"ermont, where she is well known, popular 
and influential. Mrs. Westcott's maiden name 
was Townsend. She was born in the town of 
Wallingford, Rutland county, Vt., and is a 
daughter of Dyer and Lucinda (Button) 
Townsend. 

Dyer Townsend was born in Hancock, 
Mass., in 1790, and lived to the extreme age 
of ninety-six years. His family was par- 
ticularly noted for longevity. His father died at 
the age of ninety-four years. Dyer Townsend 



was a prosperous, well-to-do man. For many 
years, he owned and operated a tannery, in 
Wallingford. Later in life, he jnuxhased a fine 
farm in the same town. Retiring there, he 
spent his closing years in agricultural pursuits. 
He made a specialty of breeding fine sheep. 

Jane Townsend was reared and educated 
near the scene of her birth. She was twice 
married. She was first united in marriage with 
Dr. Thomas J. Page, of Rutland, Vermont. 
After ten years of happy married life, Dr. 
Page died at the early age of thirty-nine years. 
Some years afterward, the subject hereof was 
joined in marriage with Hamilton Westcott, 
who was then a widower with five children. 
Mrs. Westcott made him a most excellent 
wife. She assisted him in rearing his children 
by his first wife. She also bore him one 
daughter, Ltdu. Lulu is now the wife of W. 
K. Merriam, of Fair Haven, Vermont. She 
has three children, William Dyer, aged seven 
years; Jane Elizabeth, aged four years: and 
Charles Townsend, a beautiful boy of two 
years. 

After their marriage, Mr. and IMrs. West- 
cott located in Binghamton, N. V., where 
Mr. Westcott carried on a tobacco business 
for two years, in partnership with his brother. 
In 18^15, he nu)\ed to Fair Haven, \'t., where 
he owned a splendid farm, and was engaged in 
farming during the remainder of his days. 
This farm is now owned by his son, Mel- 
vern H. 

Hamilton Westcott, deceased, was born in 
Milford, New York. His death occurred May 
10, 1895, when nearly seventy-three years o( 




SOLOX SHKRMAN. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



121 



age. He began life with little or no capital, 
and rose to he a man of considerable means. 
He left his family well provided for. His four 
hundred and thirty-acre farm cost $10,000, 
and was worth much more at the time of his 
death. He was a son of Reuben and Wealthy 
(Rose) Westcott. His father died in 1864, at 
the age of, about, sixty-two years. His mother 
■died in September, 1892, aged eighty-eight 
years. 

Mr. Westcott was also twice married. He 
was first united with Abigail Bates. She died 
in Milfonl, in i860, leaving five children as a 
legacy to her husband. June 14, 1863, Mr. 
Westcott was again married, — being united 
this time with the subject hereof, who was 
then the widow of Thomas J. Page, of Rut- 
land, Vermont. Mr. Westcott's_chi!dren by his 
first wife are, Zilpha A. ; Reuben Lorenzo ; 
Melvern H. ; Henrietta Jane; and Alice Rose. 

Mrs. Westcott is an Episcopalian, as her 
mother was before her, while Mr. Westcott 
was a Baptist. The subject of this sketch in- 
herited from her fathei; a fine farm in the town 
of Wallingford, Vt., but is spending her de- 
clining years in Fair Haven, a spot endeared 
to her by manv tender associations. 




;OLON SHERMAN, a well-to-do 
merchant of Poultney, Vermont, 
whose portrait is shown on the pre- 
ceding page, is one of the solid and reliable 
business men of Rutland county. Mr. Sher- 
man erected his fine large mill, grain house. 



and coal elevator in 1896-97 on the former 
site of his father's garden. He carries on a 
prosperous milling business, milling and sell- 
ing grain, feed and f^our, and also deals in 
coal and wood. 

Our suljject was born at East Poultney, 
Vermont, April 7, 1832, and is a son of Olcott 
and Maria ( Hosford) Sherman, and grandson 
of Jonathan Sherman. Jonathan Slierman 
was a pioneer settler of Barre, Vermont, 
which he named, and was a native of Con- 
necticut. His wife, who was Thankful White 
before marriage, dietl in 18 12, and left eleven 
children. One son, Nathaniel, was known as 
Colonel Slierman and reared fourteen chil- 
dren ; he died at the age of eighty, having been 
a widower for many years. 

Olcott Sherman was born in Barre, Ver- 
mont, in 1800. He was a harness-maker and 
also a brick mason, ha\'ing built the brick part 
of the Troy Conference Academy at Poultney. 
He was a great worker and was the acknowl- 
edged champion bricklayer of the vicin- 
ity. He worked on the Bunker HiH 
Monument and was at the laynig of the 
corner-stone by General Lafayette. Al- 
though he was lame from youth, his 
lameness being caused by a fever sore, he was 
quite a pedestrian. His marriage with Maria 
Hosford, a daughter of Philo and Azuba 
(Lynch) Hosford, resulted in the birth of four 
children, namely: one who died in infancy; 
Solon, the subject of this sketch; Ann Maria; 
and Henrietta. Ann Maria married C. J. Pet- 
tee of Detroit, where she died at the age of 
thirty-five; her death occurred in 1871. Hen- 



122 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



rietta married Henry Clark of Rutland: she is 
also now deceased. 

Olcott Slierinan went to I'oiiltney. \'t.. Jan- 
nary J5, 1825, and in conipanx' witli I'aul M. 
Ross established a harness-niakin,y; ])usiness in 
East Poullncy. In 18.W Mr. Sherman mo\'ed 
to West Poultney. or what is now I'oultney, 
where he built a large brioh house about sixty 
years ago and enjoyed the fruits of his in- 
dustry and enterprise. lie held the offices 
of constable, collector, and other town offices, 
always faithfidly discharging the duties im- 
posed upon him. ( )ur subject's grandfather, 
Philo Hosford, was one of a company of mili- 
tia that started for Plattsburg during the \\'ar 
of 1812, but did not get there until the battle 
was over. He was a farmer three nhles north 
of I'oultnex'. This farm is now owned by our 
subject and has not been out of the family for 
one hundred years. Philo Hosford was a 
Knight Templar and during the later years of 
his life was tlie oldest Mason in Vermont. 

Solon Sherman was the recipient of a fair 
common school education in I'ouhne\' and the 
Troy Conference Academy. In early youth he 
began to learn the harness-maker's trade with 
his father, and at the age of eighteen also 
began to learn the molder's trade. WHien 
twenty-one years old he left home and went 
west to Detroit, remaining in the state of 
Michigan for a period of twenty years. He 
was located at Corruna, Vernon, and Wayne, 
and his marriage occurred at Byron, Michi- 
gan. He was united with Isabella Lyon, a 
daughter of Jacob Lyon, formerly of New 
York and New Jersey. In Michigan, Mr. 



Sherman worked at his trade as a harness- 
maker and also followed farming. To him 
and liis wife were given eight children, and 
of these only three were reared to maturity, 
as follows: Thankful, Harry L., and Charles 
B. Thankful married Clarence Mears of 
Poultney, and they lost one son and have one 
daughter. Harry L. married Alice Ganson of 
Hubl>ardton, \'l., and resides at home wuh 
our subject. Charles B., who married Helen 
Goriuan of Poultney. resides on the old home- 
stead, but in 1898 took a trij) to the Klon- 
dike. Of the hve children who died, one died 
from canker rash in 1873. Three others died 
in August of the same year, all within three 
weeks time, the cause of their death l)eing 
di])hthcria. The mother of these children died 
when thirty-five years old. Mr. Sherman 
formed a second matrimonial alliance with 
Abbie Paige, a worthy lady of Rutland, 
X'ermont. 

Mr. Sherman is a Royal Arch ^lason. He 
returned from Michigan to Poultney in Oc- 
tober, 1872, and resided u])on the farm for- 
merly owned by his grandfather Hosford, un- 
til his remo\al to his ])resent residence. In 
politics, he is a Republican and cast his first 
vote for John C. Fremont. He is not a mem- 
ber of any church. 



|RS. BETSFA' (BEMAN) BRAD- 
SHAW, a much beloved, aged lady 
of Hydeville, Vermont, is the 
widow of James Bradshaw, who died Novem- 
ber 29, 1897, aged eighty-four years. James 




RUTLAND COUNTY 



123 



Bradshaw was born in New Hampshire, and 
was a son of George Bradshaw. He was a 
blacksmith, and was twice married. His first 
union was contracted with Mary Beman, a sis- 
ter of the present Mrs. Bradshaw. She died, 
about one year after marriage, in Troy, N. 
v., where Mr. Bradshaw was then at work. 
In October, 1841, Mr. Bradshaw was again 
married, the subject of this sketch becoming 
his wife. Five children blessed their union, 
namely: Mary, George, Martha, Ida, and 
Charles. Mary became the wife of Walter 
Waterman of Montpelier, \'t., where she died 
aged about forty years, leaving one daughter. 
George is a prominent liveryman of Minne- 
apolis, Minn. He also has one daughter. Mar- 
tha married William Hutchins, of Montpelier, 
Vt., where she died. She left three children. 
Ida is the wife of Edward Cook, in Hydeville. 
They have three children : their eldest daugh- 
ter was married in 1899. Charles, with his 
wife and baby boy, are respected residents of 
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Brad- 
shaw went to Hyde\'ille about thirty years 
ago. At that time, he established his black- 
smith and wagon-making business. 

A few years prior to his death, Mr. Bratl- 
shaw was in poor health and retired from ac- 
tive life. He was not a strong man, but was 
most ambitious and energetic. For many years 
lie had been subject to asthma. He com- 
menced without capital, and by industry and 
careful management was successful in accu- 
mulating a little property. He had a brother, 
George, who was an eminent lawyer, in New 
York Citv. When Mr. Bradshaw's health 



failed, this brother persuaded him to retire 
by giving him substantial aid, in the way of 
money, sufficient to retire upon. 

George Bradshaw also began life humbly. 
After leaving school, he followed teaching. 
Thus he worked his way through college, and 
fitted himself for the profession of law. He 
never married, but left his large estate to his 
two sisters and his brother. He was prom- 
inent in public life, and left not only worldly 
wealth, l)ut an excellent record. 

Mrs. Bradshaw is a daughter of Luke and 
Betsey (Gibson) Beman, of Massachusetts. 
Soon after their marriage, Jaiuiary 31, 1818, 
her parents settled in West Poultney, where 
Mr. Beman followed mercantile life. He 
was a comb manufacturer. Seven children 
were born of this union: Mary, Betsey (the 
sul)ject hereof), Martha, Augustus, Jonas, 
Sylvester, and Hoyt. Mary was the first wife 
of Mr. Bradshaw. Martha married Chauncey 
Fish, of Fair Haven, where her death oc- 
curred, in 1892. She was sixty-nine years old, 
and left one daughter. Augustus was 
a printer. He learned his trade in Rutland, 
with the elder Tuttles, and subsequently be- 
came a printer in New York City, where he 
died from smallpox. He was unmarried. 
Jonas was also a resident of the same city. 
He lost his only son when the latter was nine- 
teen years old. Jonas died, and left a widow. 
Sylvester died January 7, 1853, aged twenty- 
two years. Hoyt resides in Chicago, 111. He 
has charge of the county house. He is mar- 
ried and has three daughters and one son. 
The beloved mother of these children laid 



124 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



down the burden of life, August 17, 1844. The 
father again married, and died of old age, 
about 1889. Death came suddenly to him 
while visiting his son. lie settled in Fair 
Haven. al)i)ut i8_^5. selling his home in Poult- 
ney at the time. The railroad cars are now 
running through his former door-yard. He 
then purchased the Morse ])lace in Fair Haven, 
which is now the home of Dr. Wakefield. 

Mrs. Bradshaw resides in one of the most 
])leasant si)ots in 1 1 \(le\ille, which is one of 
the historic villages of Western W-rmont. She 
has lived in the same cottage for the last 
twenty-two years. She has ne\er been a strong 
woman, 1)ut is very energetic. Although ex- 
ceedingly frail in health, and advanced in 
years, she has a rem;ukable force of both body 
and mind. .She is s])ending the sunset of life 
siu'roimded bv everv comfort olitainable. 



UDSON N. HOOKFR, an ui)-to-date 
farmer in (."astleton. Rutland cc)unty, 
\'ermont. comes from a distinguished 
family. He is a descendant of old Thomas 
Hooker, a famous divine, wiio came, in early 
times, from Fngland to Connecticut. Mr. 
Hooker was born. .\])ril i. 18O1, in Castleton, 
and was educated in the state normal school 
of that I'lace. graduating thercfrum, in 1S80. 
He is a son of Tnmian Xewell and Lucia 
Ann (Moore) Hooker, ;i grandson of Truman 
and Betsey (Griswold) Hooker, and great- 
grandson of Thomas Hooker, who was born 
January 21, 1762, and served in the 
Revolutionar\- War, from Connecticut. The 



grandfather of Judson H. was born in Poult- 
ney, Vt., December 29, 1793, and removed to 
Castleton about 1834. He settled upon a 
farm of two lumdred acres in that vicinity, 
and reared three sons and three daughters. 
.MI the sons are now deceased except one, 
Edward I'. Hooker, who is a Congregational 
minister, in IMarshfield, Massachusetts. He 
was president of a college in Florida. David 
Hooker, another son, was a prominent lawyer, 
in Milwaukee. The daughters are Sarah 
(Ainsworth), and I\Iary L., who never mar- 
ried. Judson H. Hooker's grandfather died 
on the f;um where he spent so many years, 
June 9, 1866. His widow died at the same 
place, seventeen years later, having reached 
her seventy-seventh year. Their remains lie 
in Hillside cemetery, in Castleton. 

Truman Xewell Hooker, father of the sub- 
ject hereof, was born in the town of Poultney, 
August II, 1826. He was united in marriage 
with Lucia Ann Moore. Mrs. Hooker was a 
nati\'e of Castleton. and was a daughter of 
Flam and Lydia (Wells) Moore. Her father 
followed the occupation of a farmer; he was 
born March 8, 1787, and served in the War of 
1812, while hei mother was born Mav 26, 
1785. Their marriage occurred March 5, 
181 2. The parents of Judson H. settled on a 
farm of one hundred and sLxty acres, just north 
of the village of Castleton. They lived there 
until i86q. when they rented out that farm, 
and bought the heirs' interests to the home- 
stead farm, which was originally purchased 
by Truman Hooker. 

Truman Hooker was a public-spirited cit- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



125 



izen. He served as selectman, and as justice 
of the peace. He began life without any cash 
capital and worked hard during early man- 
hood. But he was an invalid, from diphtheria, 
during the last seventeen years of his life. He 
died December 15. i8yi, when sixty-five years 
old. Mr. Hooker lost one sister in early 
childhood. She died February 9, 1858, when 
about two and a half years old. 

The subject of this sketch is looked upon 
as one of the most progressive farmers in the 
communitv, and is well and favorably known 
in social and business circles throughout Rut- 
land countv. 




■ILLIAM C. MASON, an enter- 
prising and prosperous stock and 
dairy farmer in the town of Pawlet, 
is one of the most active farmers in Rutland 
county, Vermont. Mr. Mason's career has 
been somewhat varied. He obtained a good 
schooling and started out for himself when 
twenty years old, as salesman of nursery stock 
for a Geneva firm. He was on the road for 
two years. His next experience was at sell- 
ing sewing machines, which occupied his at- 
tention for three years. In 1880 and 1881, he 
engaged in agricultural pursuits on a farm 
which his father had owned for eleven years. 

In 1889, Mr. Mason began his real life work, 
dealing in horses and cattle. He buys horses 
in the West and disposes of them in the East ; 
he purchases cattle in Vermont which he 
drives to Massachusetts and sells. During 
October and November, 1898 and 1899, he 



bought and drove to Massachusetts i ,043 head 
of cows and young cattle, paying for the same 
nearly $25,000; this money was distributed 
almost wholly among the farmers of Rutland 
county, Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Mason own 
a fine farm, and carry on general farming. ]n 
addition to farming he keeps high grade Hol- 
stein cattle and has some thoroughbreds in his 
herd. The milk from his 30 cows at 75 cents 
per hundredweight, together with other 
dairy products, brought him $1,800 dur- 
ing one year. He has some of the 
most valuable thoroughbred Holstein 
stock in the state; some of them 
are great milkers. Mary Dean, a beautiful and 
perfectly formed cow has given 50 lbs. of milk 
a day for 200 consecutive days. Eight of his 
cows gave an aggregate of 412 lbs. in one day 
and 12,152 lbs. in one month. Ten cows gave 
a total of 504 lbs. in a day. Mr. 
Mason always keeps at least 30 cows. 
Ten years ago, the same farm would 
only support 16 cows. But our subject farms 
on the most approved plans. He makes high 
grade fertilizers by utilizing all the solids and 
fluids from the stables. He has a large, 
commodious barn which is 117 feet long and 
30 feet wide. 

Mr. Mason has recently planted about 100 
sugar maple trees along the road. In a few 
years these trees will greatly add to the beauty 
of his fine farm. A few such energetic and 
enterprising farmers in Rutland county would 
be an inspiration and would prove that farm- 
ing in New England will pay now as it did of 
yore. The industrious and heroic ancestors 



126 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



of the present generation lived well and made 
money on the same land where many of their 
posterity are letting the farms grow up in 
weeds. 

William C. Mason was horn in West Paw- 
let, January 19, 1K34. He is a son of James N. 
and Alta (Simmons) Mason, and grandson of 
Allen Mason. Allen Mason was a native of 
Connecticut. He was one of the early set- 
tlers in the woods of Pownal, Vermont, where 
he cleared a good farm. He died about 1840 
and left eleven children, of whom James N. 
was the youngest. 

James N. Mason was born in Pownal, Ver- 
mont, in October, 1818, and died in 1893. In 
1843 li'^ ^^'is joined in marriage with Alta 
Simmons, a daugiiter of S(|uire Joel Sim- 
mons, a man of affairs in Poultney. Eight 
children were the result of this union, namely: 
James; Joel; John; Daniel; William C, sub- 
ject of this sketch ; Allen ; Helen ; and Alta. 
James resides in Boston, where he manufac- 
tures door plates and house numbers. Joel 
is a tra\eling salesman and resides at Middle- 
town Springs, \'erinoiit. John is in the in- 
surance business in Granville, New York. 
Daniel also resides in Middletown Springs. 
Allen is a constable in Pawlet. Helen is the 
wife of D. H. Fenton of East Poultney. Alta 
is the wife of M. S. Strong of Granville, New 
York. Our subject's mother was a devout 
Methodist. She died in 1864. James N. 
Mason's second union was contracted with 
Almira Banister of Pownal, who is still a resi- 
dent of East Poultney and, though well on to 
eighty years old, is still bright and active. Her 



father was a physician and served in the Rev- 
olutionary \\'ar ; she was born to him when he 
was well along in years. Mrs. Mason is a 
mendjcr of the Daughters of the American 
Revolution. 

William C. Mason was joined in marriage 
with Mary Reed, a native of Pennsylvania. 
This happy event took place January i, 1889. 
Mrs. Mason is a daughter of Curtis and Almira 
(Blakeley) Reed. Her parents, both of whom 
are now deceased, settled on the farm now oc- 
cu])ied by our subject, in 1865; the farm con- 
tains 175 acres. Curtis Reed had two children 
by his first marriage, and this one daughter by 
his second marriage, with Almira Blakeley. 
His first wife's children were: Colby, a resi- 
dent of Pennsyhania, and .Vita, wife of Charles 
Eaton of Oran, New York. Two children 
brighten the home of ^^Ir. and Mrs. Mason, 
namely: Nina, born November 14, 1891, and 
Adelaide, born September 12, 1896. 

Mr. Mason is a I-iepublican. He has served 
as selectni.in two years and as overseer of 
the poor. He is one of the few men who make 
a success of any enterprise which they under- 
take. He believes that "what is worth doing 
at all is worth doino- well." 




kS. HELEN M. COLTON. who re- 
sides in a ideasant home at Num- 
ber 10, West street, in Fair 
Haven, Rutland county, \'t., is the widow of 
David B. Colton, who died in Fair Haven, 
February 10, 1879, <^ged fifty-two years. 
David B. Colton was born in 1826. He was 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



127 



a son of Solomon Bigelow and Annis (Martin) 
Colton. Our subject's father was a native of 
Long Meadow, Massachusetts. He was a tan- 
ner by trade. His marriage with Annis Mar- 
tin, of Ferrisburg, Vt., resulted in the birth of 
three children, — two sons and one daughter, — 
namely: David B., the subject of these lines, 
Calvin H., and Sarah Ann. The father of these 
children died when only forty-four years old. 
His widow married again. She wedded Eli 
Skinner, and died at the advanced age of 
eighty-two years. 

Calvin H. Colton was a harness maker, by 
trade, and followed that occupation in both 
Granville and Fair Haven. He removed to 
the latter place, about the year 1870, and con- 
tinued to reside there until cut off by death, 
in 1886. He left a widow who was, before 
marriage, a Miss Watkins of Poultney, Ver- 
mont. Sarah Ann Colton married Sylvester 
Skinner, the son of her step-father. 

David B. Colton was also a harness maker, 
by trade, in connection with which he kept a 
hotel in Fair Haven, and was associated in the 
marble business, witii both his father-in- 
law and his brother-in-law. He was engaged 
in these various occupations up to the time of 
his death. He was a member of the I. O. O. F. 
He was a fine tenor singer, and taught vocal 
music. August 15, 1852, he was joined in 
marriage with Helen M. Adams, the subject 
of this sketch. Mrs. Colton is a daughter 
of Joseph and Stella (Miller) Adams, and is 
a sister of A. N. Adams, a sketch of whose life 
also appears in this publication. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Colton were born three 



children, namely : William Wallace, Joseph E., 
and Da\id B.. Jr. William Wallace was born 
in July, 1853, and died when eight months old. 
Joseph E. was born February 15, 1858, and 
resides in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is 
the treasurer and sole manager of a stock com- 
pany, which manufactures type-writing paper. 
He possesses a high order of business ability, 
and is prosperous. He was twice married. 
His hrst union was contracted with Alice T. 
Thomas, of Fort Ann, New York. She died 
in 1890, in West Rutland, Vt., leaving one 
son, William Wallace Colton, who is now a 
boy of fifteen years. Two years later, Mr. Col- 
ton married again. Susan Humphrey, of Pitts- 
field, Massachusetts, became his wife. She 
also has one son, Robert Humphrey, who is 
now nearly three years old. David B., Jr., 
also resides in Pittsfield. He is a commercial 
traveler, in the paper trade. He was joined 
in marriage with Stella M. Beckley, of Michi- 
gan. She is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. 
David R. Beckley, of Mendon, Michigan. To 
David B. Colton, Jr., and his wife has been 
born a daughter, Vera, a bright and interest- 
ing child, of eleven years. 

Mrs. Colton's mother died November i, 
1882. Mrs. Colton was educated in Castleton 
Seminary, and still retains possession of her 
piano, which is a source of pleasure and enter- 
tainment to her. She sold the old home, and 
lived with her eldest son, in Pittsfield, Mass., 
for a few years, after his first wife's death. 
But in 1893, she returned to Fair Haven, and 
built her present modern cottage, where she is 
most delightfully situated. The subject of this 



128 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



sketch is a member of tlie Unitarian church, 
of Pittsfield,' Massachusetts. Both she and her 
husband were formerly Universalists. 



r^ HOMAS ERAST U S W A K E- 
FIELD, M. D., a retired pliysician of 
Fair Haven, Vt., was for more than 
fifty years, one of the leading practitioners of 
Rutland county. Dr. Wakefield was born in 
Manchester, Vermont, March 15, 182 1. He 
is a son of Thomas L. and Haimah (Ewers) 
Wakefield, and grandson of Captain Ebenezer 
and Abigail Wakefield. 

Dr. Wakefield was the recipient of a liberal 
education in the Troy Conference Academy. 
His medical training was obtained under old 
Dr. Childs. of Pittsfield, Mass. He gradu- 
ated in Castleton, Vt., at the age of twenty- 
one years. He immediately opened an ofifice 
in Fair Ha\en, where he has practiced for 
fifty-five years. iVbout two years ago, his eye- 
.sight began to fail, and now the Doctor is al- 
most totally blind. Upon coming out of col- 
lege he found himself mucli in debt. He suc- 
ceeded in paying one hundred cents on the 
dollar, and has since saved many thousands 
of dollars. His practice has been of extensive 
proportions. He has gone to attend the sick 
and suffering, in all kinds of weather, and at 
all hours of the day and night. He had a large 
l)raclice, not only in Fair Haven, but in many 
Vermont and New York towns near by. 

He was the leading physician in Fair Haven 
from the year 1842 until compelled to retire 
from practice. But for his grand constitu- 



tion, he could not have endured what he has 
gone through. Though now in his seventy- 
ninth year, his bodily strength is good, and 
his mental vigor is not gorie. The loss of 
his eyesight, by cataract, has withdrawn him 
from acti\e effort, and his large practice has 
l)een turned over to a bright and jiromising 
young man. Dr. Parkhurst, who is already a 
skillful physician and surgeon. Dr. Wake- 
field is a Repu1)lican. but voted the Demo- 
cratic ticket ])rior to the formation of the Re- 
pul)lican ])arty, in 1856. 

Captain Ebenezer Wakefield was a farmer 
by avocation. He was born about the year 
1746. He was a captain in the Revolutionary 
War, and fought in the battle of Bunker Hill. 
Erastus Ewers, Dr. Wakefield's maternal 
grandfather, was a pri\'ate in the same com- 
pany. Ebenezer and Al)igail reared two 
daughters and one son. The latter was 
Thomas L.. Dr. Wakefield's father. The 
Doctor's grandfather served throughout the 
war. and was a pensioner of the government. 
He li\ed until he attained the age of eighty- 
five years. His widow died at the advanced 
age of ninety-five years. 

Thomas L. Wakefield, father of the Doctor, 
was born at Winhall, Vt.. April g, 1792, and 
died in 1874. In 1816, he wedded Hannah 
Ewers. This marriage resulted in the birth of 
two daughters and one son. namely: Ange- 
line Theresa ; Thomas Erastus. the subject of 
these lines ; and Helen Ann. Angeline Theresa 
is the widow of Noah Adams. She resides 
in Portlandville, Otsego county, N. Y., and 
is in her eighty-second year. Helen Ann was 




DK. ARTHUR CLARENCK NORTON. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



131 



born in 1824, in Granville, where she was 
accidentally drowned, in 1830. Her parents 
adopted a niece, who had been named for the 
lost one. This niece is now living with her 
aged aunt : she has one son. The Doctor's 
mother died in 1884. Their remains rest in 
Portlandville, N. Y., where the grandmother 
is also buried. 

Dr. Wakefield was joined in marriage with 
Mary Fisk Fuller. This happy event was cel- 
ebrated June 19, 1845. Mrs. Wakefield was 
born in West Needham, Mass., June 24, 1819. 
She had two children, Leroy, who died when 
eight days old ; and Helen Ann. who was born 
in 1847, and died, December 2, 1853. 

Dr. Wakefield lost his companion February 
19, 1890. In this, the hour of his afifliction, 
the Doctor is attended by neither a loving 
wife nor child. But he has friends in every 
household, who are anxious to do something 
for him who has done so much for them. It 
is hoped that his blindness is only temporary, 
and may be entirely relieved by medical 
science, as is frequently the case. 



B 



R. ARTHUR CLARENCE NOR- 
TON, the leading physician of Mid- 
dletown Springs, Rutland county, 
Vermont, whose portrait is presented on a 
preceding page, has been actively engaged in 
the practice of his chosen profession, since 
1882. He is a native of Arlington, Vermont, 
where he was born September 28, 1859. He 
received scholastic training in both common 



and select schools, and then decided to pre- 
pare for the practice of medicine. 

He fitted himself for his noble calling, in the 
Homeopathic Medical College, of New York. 
He received his diploma, and began practice 
in New York State, in 1882. Six months af- 
terward he went to his present location, at 
Middletown Springs. He has seen many 
competitors come and go, but through all the 
changes he has sustained his reputation as 
the leading practitioner of the place. 

He was married June 13, 1882, to Lucy 
Randall. Mrs. Norton is a daughter of Rev. 
John and Frances (Daniels) Randall, both of 
whom are now deceased. Mrs. Norton's 
mother died when Lucy was but two years 
old. 

To Dr. and Mrs. Norton have been born 
three children, namely : Charles Arthur, born 
May 5, 1883: Marguerite Gertrude, born 
August 28, 1884, and John Randall, born June 
6, 1890. The eldest of these children is a tall, 
slender youth, six feet and two inches in 
height. Dr. Norton is a son of M. L. and 
Eliza (White) Norton, and a grandson of Ed- 
ward Norton. Edward Norton was a tailor 
in Arlington, Vermont, but was born in New 
York. He was one of fifteen children, and 
had seven brothers and seven sisters. This 
numerous family contained two pairs of twins 
— Edward, himself, belonging to one pair. 
The mother was a Miss Gunn, before her 
marriage. 

M. L. Norton, father of the subject hereof, 
was born at Jackson, Washington county. 
New York, in 1830. He was a wool buyer 



132 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



for a large firm in Arlington, \'erniont. In 
1853, he was joined in marriage with Eliza 
White, an accomplished daughter ni Jonathan 
and Esther (Stewardj White, of Arlington. 
Two sons hlessed this union, Charles C, and 
Arthur Clarence, the suhject of this biogra- 
phy. Charles C. Norton graduated from Trin- 
ity College, and is a law\er by profession, al- 
tliough he never became a practitioner. lie 
has a lucrative position in the land office, in 
Washington, District of Columbia, ;niil has 
been in the employ of the go\ernmeut since 
1878. 

Dr. Norton settled in his comfortable home 
fifteen years ago. He unites with his family 
in worshiping at the Episcopal churcii. In 
politics, he supports the principles of the Re- 
publican jjarty. He has ser\ed as health 
officer, since the health law of the state was 
passed. He has found time to ser\e as schcjol 
commissioner. Dr. Norton is of a mathe- 
matical turn of mind, -.inA. now and then, en- 
joys a social game of chess with his neighbors. 




|RS. SUSAN (DYER) DAVIS, re- 
siding at Number 15, West street, 
Rutland, AT., is the widow of 
Nicholas L. Da\is, who died at his late resi- 
dence in Rutland, Sunday, July 12, 1891. 

Nicholas L. r)a\-is, or "Nic" Davis, as he 
was familiarK- called, was born at Limington, 
Me., June 7, 1827. He was a son of William 
and Mary (Waterhouse) Davis. His mother 
was a native of Cornish, Maine. His father, 
■\vho was born in Limington, I^Iaine, fol- 



lowed agricultural ])ursuits all his life, and 
reared three sons and two daughters, all of 
whom grew u]i to be good citizens. W'hen 
young Da\is was seventeen years old, he left 
his home and went to Taunton, Massachu- 
setts. It was his desire to be a mechanic. He 
began work in the Taunton engine sho])s, and 
worked his way up step by step, luuil he at 
last became a first-class railroad engineer, and 
was placed in charge of an engine. It came 
about in this way. The engineer for whom 
he was firing desired to take a vacation, and 
recjuested that young Da\-is be permitted to 
run his engine for him. The railroad officials 
objected on the grounds that Davis was too 
young and inexperienced. The engineer 
overruled all oi:)jections, by declaring tliat 
he would trust his engine to no one but his 
boy fireman. Soon after, Davis was placed in 
charge of an engine. 

He ran the steamboat train on the Taunton 
& Bedford R. R., to Stonington, remaining 
on that road three years. He came to Rut- 
land, \ t., bringing a locomotive from the 
shops of Taunton, ^Massachusetts. He nunle 
the journey via Springfield, Mass., Albany, 
\\'hitehall, and thence, by boat, across Lake 
Champlain, to Burlington. At that time the 
track was laid from Burlington to Middle- 
bury. Mr. Davis ran the first engine into Rut- 
land. It was a small wood burner and was 
called the "Nantucket." 

For nine years he was engineer of the fast 
mail train between Rutland and Burlington. 
The late Josiah Bowtelle was then conductor. 
Mr. Davis was skillful and fearless and was 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



133 



always on time. These are essential qualities 
in an engineer, and lie was considered one of 
the best. Mr. Davis came to Rutland in 
September, 1849. He ran on the Rutland & 
Burlington Railroad until October 13, 1857. 
He was then appointed foreman of the Rut- 
land railroad shops, which position he held 
until the death of H. G. Litchfield, when he 
became master mechanic. His position as 
master mechanic was a most responsible one, 
and he filled it in an able manner. He took 
much pride in his work and turned out sev- 
eral fine engines, one of which was named 
for him, by the company. His engines have 
the reputation of being among the best ever 
produced by the company. He was a thor- 
ough railroad man, and was in the employ of 
the Central Vermont Railroad for forty-two 
years and ten months. 

Politically, Mr. Davis was a firm Demo- 
crat. He held every one of the town offices. 
He was selectman and water commissioner for 
many years. In fraternal circles, he was a 
Alason of high degree, being a Knight Tem- 
plar. He was initiated into Center Lodge, 
No. 34, of Rutland, in 1853, and served as 
master of the lodge. The Masons had charge 
of his funeral, which was one of the largest 
ever held in Rutland. Mr. Davis was also 
chief engineer of the fire department. He 
built the house wliere Mrs. Davis still lives, 
in 1884. Mrs. Davis was born and 
reared on this same ground. Mr. Davis 
was stricken with paralysis, and died a 
few hours later. He had been in the 
best of health for some time, and his 



death was entirely unexpected. His funeral 
occurred July 15, 189 1. He was buried on his 
wedding anniversary. He was not only a fine 
looking man, but was generous and tender- 
hearted. In the storms of this life he was the 
oak, the rock, — in the sunshine, the vine and 
the flowers. Benevolence, kindliness and 
charity were \-irtues that nature especially de- 
veloped in him. Others have left more worldly 
wealth, but few, if any, have left a better or 
more lasting record for true maniiood. 

■Mrs. Davis is a daughter of Alanson and 
Emily Adeline (Fisher) Dyer. Her father 
was born May 13, 1800, in Rutland, Ver- 
mont. Her mother was l)orn in Guilford, Vt., 
September 18, 1813. Their marriage was sol- 
emnized in 1 83 1. They settled in Rutland, 
on the same site where the subject of this 
sketch now lives. Mr. Dyer kept a tavern 
there for many years. May 9, 1857, it was 
burned, with great loss to him. He not only 
lost his hotel, stables, but, also, fifteen horses, 
and his store and contents. Air. and Mrs. 
Dyer were the parents of five children, — four 
daughters and one son. One daughter and 
one son died at fourteen months. 

Mrs. Davis is the eldest. Her sisters are 
Emily Mary, and Elizabeth Marion. Emily 
Mary is now the wife of Wilson Wright. 
Elizabeth Marion is the widow of Hosea J. 
Bradford. Both sisters reside in St. Paul, 
Minnesota. The beloved father died March 
21, 1872, while the mother survived him until 
April 16, 1888. Their remains rest in the Rut- 
land cemetery, in the lot owned by Mrs. 
Davis. Both died at the home of this daugh- 



134 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ter. She was her father's especial pride, as 
he was Iier ideal. The subject of this sketch 
was joined in marriage with Nicholas L. Davis 
on July 15. 1852. Three children were born 
to them, two sons and one daughter, namely: 
William Alanson Dyer; Warren Fred. Xic. ; 
and Mary Louise. 

W'illiam Alanson Dyer is still at home, with 
his mother, for whom he is tenderly caring 
through her declining years. He superin- 
tends the management of her entire property. 
Warren Fred. Nic. resides in iMenominee, 
Michigan. He is the active member of the 
firm of Blodgett «& Davis, prominent lumber- 
men of that state. Both members of the firm 
are popular, and they do a good business. 
Warren has a wife and two sons, Fred. Nic, 
born in 1884, and John Blodgett, born in 
1896. 

Mary Louise married Thomas Pollard 
Bragg, of Rutland, X'ermont. They iiave one 
son and one daughter. The names of their 
children are: Xic. Davis, l)orii in 1889, and 
Susan Dyer Davis, born in 1891. Mrs. Davis 
is a memljer of the Episcopal cJnirch, as were, 
also, her husband, and all iier chiklren. 




RED J. PROVO, an expert black- 
smith and horse-shoer of Mill Village, in 
the town of Rutland, V't., is a fair ex- 
ample of a self-made man. He began business 
without any cash capital, and what he has to- 
day has been obtained by steady and persist- 
ent effort, coupled with the application of ex- 
ceptional mechanical skill. 



Mr. Provo was born in Cuttingsville. \'t.. 
December 23, 1865. He is a son of Joseph 
and Salinda (La Francis) Provo. and grand- 
son of Jose])h Provo. a sturdy, retired farmer 
and blacksmith of Canada, who was an 
octogenarian. Joseph Provo. the father 
of Fred J., was born in the Province of 
Ouebec, Canada, nearlv seventv-five miles 
north of Montreal, about the year 1836. He 
now re'sides in North Clarendon. \'ermont. 
The parents of Fred J. were joined in mar- 
riage, in 1863. His mother was a native of 
Shoreham. \'ermont. She is one of si.x chil- 
dren. His father is one of three children. To 
this worthy couple were born eight children, 
five of whom are still living. Those living 
are: Fred J., the subject of this sketch; 
George W., a prominent blacksmith in Cut- 
tingsville. \'t. : Jeremiah, a salesman in New- 
Haven. Conn. : Lena, wife of Closes Love- 
lette of Rutland. Vt. ; and Minnie, wife of 
John Sidleau, of Hartford, Connecticut. 

Fred J. Provo learned the trade of a black- 
.smith with his father, who also followed that 
occupation. He left school when eighteen 
years of age. and worked at home until he at- 
tained the age of twenty years. He then 
went to Rutland. Soon after this, he opened 
his present sliop in Mill \'illage. He does all 
kinds of work in that line, and is considered a 
splendid liand to shoe a horse. Much of his 
work comes from Rutlaml. 

Mr. ProNo is a member of the L O. O. ¥. 
In politics, he is a Republican, but is too 
busv for otYice-seeking. When twenty-one 
years old he became a benedict by wedding 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



135 



Helen M. Austin, of Middle Granville, New 
York. One daughter has been born to them, 
Ixutli Helen, a child of four years who is 
the pride of her fond parents. Mr. Provo 
and his estimable wife are comfortably settled 
in a pleasant cottage of their own, which they 
built in 1893. 

For one so young, the subject of this sketch 
has succeeded admiraljly in securing for him- 
self a neat income. But he \alues his cher- 
ished wife and child, his health and his capac- 
ity for lionest toil, far more than wealth. 




BEL HARWOOD DENIO, a retired 
irmer, li\-ing with his widowed daugh- 
ter at Number 16 Royce street, 
Rutland Vt., is somewhat over ninety years 
of age. Although he is slightly lame from an 
injury, he is still well preserved for a man 
of his years. With the exception of being a 
little hard of hearing, all his faculties are 
sound, and his hiemory of the remote past, as 
well as of recent events, is marvelous. When 
Mr. Denio was eighty years old, he read of 
some persons memorizing at that age, and 
thought he would try it. The result was in- 
deed gratifying: he can rehearse some fifty 
pieces, some of which are quite lengthy. He 
was born November 18, 1809. He is a son 
of Ariel and Lovina (Harwood) Denio, and 
grandson of Aaron and Deborah (Wood) 
Denio. Aaron Denio was a shoemaker 
by trade, and was also a first-class 
boot maker. He was Iiorn in Franklin 
county, Mass., where his father, whose 



name was also Aaron, had settled, and 
spent his closing" years. The grandfather 
of Abel Harwood Denio was a pensioner 
of the RevolutifMiary War. He died about the 
year 1828, at the advanced age of ninety 
years. His widow died in 1835, aged about 
eighty-four years. He wedded Deborah 
Wood, and they reared five sons and two 
daughters. The daughters never married, and 
one son remained a bachelor. Israel Denio, 
great uncle of the subject hereof, settled in 
Rome, New York. His son, Hiram, was a 
lawyer of prominence, and served as judge 
in Utica, New York. 

Ariel Denio, father of Abel Harwood 
Denio, was born in Shaftesbury, Vt., in 1786. 
He died in Rupert, \'t.. when eighty-three 
years old. He served in the War of 181 2, 
and drew a pension from the government. In 
the beginning of the year 1809, Ariel Denio 
was joined in marriage with Lovina Harwood. 
whose mother's maiden name was Rice. They 
were natives of Bennington, \'ermont. To 
the parents of the subject hereof were born 
the following ten children, — five sons and five 
daughters : Abel Harwood, the subject of 
this sketch ; Zachariah ; Arvilla ; Aurelia ; 
Mylon ; Ann Janette ; Aaron ; Hiram ; Vesta ; 
and Deborah. 

Zachariah died when about fifty years old, 
and left a family. Arvilla became the wife 
of Hiram Harwood. She died in Constan- 
tine, Michigan, in January, 1899, in her 
eighty-sixth year. She left four children. Ann 
Janette still resides in Rutland, Vt., on Wales 
street. She is now the widow Engrem, and is 



136 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



seventy-six years okl. Aurelia. \\ ulow of An- 
drew Realty, of Canada, died in September. 
1899. aged eit^lUy-one years. Aaron is about 
seventy-four jears old. and resides in Ben- 
nington. \'ermont. }Ie has a wife and cliil- 
dren. in iiis younger days, lie taught school, 
as did, also. Zachariah and two of their sis- 
ters, llirani. aged seventy-two years, also 
resides in Bennington. \'esta is the wife of 
Enoch Hubbard, of Havelock, Nebraska. 
Deborah died at forty years of age, and 
Mylon. at the age of forty-one years. 

The mother of Abel Ilarwood Denio was 
three years younger than Iiis father, antl died 
at about the age of eiglity-three years. Their 
remains lie buried in North Rupert. \'t., in 
close proximity to where their lives were 
mostly spent. Ariel Denio was an able farm- 
er, and served in nearly all of the township 
offices. Most of the sons were, also, farmers 
(Jne was a cru'pcnter. Mxloii was member of 
the legislature. Abel Harwood Denio was 
reared to farm life and had a common school- 
ing ; after leaving school, he worked out one 
or two years previous to attaining his major- 
ity, and ga\e his wages to his father. He 
learned the trade of making carpenter's 
squares, and making scales and figures. Later, 
he worked, for about six years, at brick-mak- 
ing in Connec-ticut and also in .Shaftesbury, 
and Bennington. X'ermont. April 11, 1836, he 
was joined in marriage with Ilannali N. 
Bailey. She was l)orn in Rupert, \'t., in De- 
cember. 1809, and was six weeks younger 
tiian the sidijcct hereof. She was a daughter 
of William and Mary ((lookins) Bailey. Mr. 



and Mrs. Denio were the parents of three chil- 
dren, nanieh' : William B., Mary and 
Lafayette. 

William 1*. resides in Rupert, \'t., on the 
old farm of about four hundred acres, where 
his father settled about fifty years ago, and 
lived for thirty years. He has two sons and 
two daughters. Mary is the widow of Rollin 
C. Wickham. Mr. Wickham died, October 
6, 1892, aged sixty-one years, leaving his 
widow with two daughters and one son. They 
are : Carrie, wife of Samuel Willson ; Earl D., 
of Rutland. — \vho has a wife and one daugh- 
ter; and Julia X.. wife of Grant M. Otis, of 
I'oultnev, \'ermont. — she is a gifted artist. 
Lafayette resides in Springfield, Massachu- 
setts, where he manufactures webbing. He 
has one son and one daughter. 

The subiect of tliis sketch has been de- 
pri\-ed. by death, of his beloved wife, and is 
patiently awaiting the sunnnons to join her 
on the other shore. 



(^AMES L. GILMORF- It is with pleas- 
ure that we introduce to oiu- readers 
the genllcni;ui whose name heads this 
sketch, as a prominent and leading farmer 
in West Rutland. Although he is not, at the 
present time, actively engaged in that occu- 
pation, but at the advanced age of eighty-six 
years, is enjoying a grateful rest after a life 
of toil, still, farming has been his principal 
life-work. Mr. (iilmore is of Scotcli-Irish 
ancestry, and first saw the light of day Sep- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



137 



tember 24, 1813. He is a son of William and 
Mary (Chatterton) Gilmore. 

The first of the Gilmore family who emi- 
grated to America, came directly from Lon- 
donderry, Ireland, and settled in Derry, New 
Hampshire. William Gilmore, father of the 
subject of this sketch, was born in the state 
of New Hampshire, and followed agricultural 
pursuits all his life. He wedded Mary Chat- 
terton, an accomplished lady, of West Rut- 
land, Vermont. Mrs. Gilmore was born in 
1786, and died at the very advanced age of 
ninety-four years. She was a daughter of 
Isaac and I\Iary (Todd) Chatterton, of Con- 
necticut, near the New Hampshire border. 

Isaac Chatterton, maternal grandfather of 
James L. Gilmore, had six brothers who par- 
ticipated in the Revolutionary War, the eld- 
est of whom was Wait Chatterton, who served 
throughout that long and bloody struggle. 
Isaac, when a lad of fourteen years, was also 
preparing to enter the army, when the war 
was successfully terminated. He was joined 
in marriage with Mary Todd, and they reared 
one son and four daughters. Mrs. Chatter- 
ton was eighteen years of age when the 
Declaration of Independence was signed. 

William Gilmore lived to enjoy but five 
years of wedded life, when he was cut off by 
death, leaving his widow and one little son, — 
having previously buried one infant. Their 
third child, the subject of this sketch, was 
born in September, after his father's death in 
February. Thus the bereaved mother was 
compelled to rear her sons without the assist- 
ance of their father, who had provided well 



for their future, b}- leax'ing a good property 
for their inheritance. This is the same farm 
upon which James L. Gilmore still resides; it 
contains one hundred and twelve acres, and 
has been in the possession of the family for 
more than a century. James L. Gilmore's 
mother had the able assistance of her father in 
rearing her two sons, as he was appointed 
guardian for the children. 

James L. Gilmore was reared to a farmer's 
life by his grandfather, and at the age of sev- 
enteen years he took charge of the farm ; this 
he managed, for two or three years, in a man- 
ner that would have done credit to 
a nuich older person. In 1832, hav- 
ing attained the age of nineteen years, 
he was given a vacation, and took a 
trip to Ohio, visiting relatives and hunting, 
for one year and a half. He then returned 
home and located on the old, original Gilmore 
farm, in Ira, containing' some two hundred 
acres. There he remained, busily engaged in 
farming, for a period of seven years, when lie 
sold out. Going back to the homestead farm, 
where he still lives, Mr. Gilmore built a store, 
and dealt in general merchandise for thirteen 
years (from 1848 to 1861). He was also post- 
master from 1865 to 1885. His son, William 
R. (jilmore, was in business at the depot for 
many years, where the post office department 
was located, and kept by the elder Mr. Gil- 
more. They frequently obtained goods on 
time in New York City, which goes to prove 
their integrity and reliability. 

In 1837, the subject of this sketch was 
united in marriage with Mary Ann Perry of 



138 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



West Rutland, Vermont. Mrs. Gilmore was 
born in July. 1813. and was a few months 
older than her husband, who was called upon 
to sustain the loss of this much lo\ed com- 
panion, in (Jctober, 1897. They were the par- 
ents of five children, one of whom, a daugh- 
ter, died in infancy. The others are: Wil- 
liam R., who resides at home on the farm, and 
has charge of the store, as ])reviously men- 
tioned; Mary I.; Charles J.; and Anna J. 
These sons and daughters, although having 
reached matm-ity, are still unm;u'ried and at 
home. They are active in the lilerar\' matters 
of the village, and are all musical, — making 
a splendid quartette. The youngest daugh- 
ter is a most accomplished pianist. There 
are but few families as refined and harmon- 
ious as this one. Mr. Gilmore gave 
eacli of his children an exceptionally good 
education, and it is with pleasure that 
he notes their bright, scliolarly minds, and 
their devotedness to the old home. In poli- 
tics, Mr. Gilmore was a \\'hig earl\- in life, 
but upon the fnrmation of the Republican 
])arty, in 1856, he cast his fortunes with the 
latter, and has represented the town of Ira 
in the state assembly: he has used iiis influ- 
ence in every way to ad\ance the welfare of 
his conununitv, socially, morally, and intel- 
lectually. 

Surrounded by these loved ones, the sub- 
ject of this memoir is peacefully sjiending his 
declining years, untroubled by anxiety con- 
cerning tomorrow. Although not a member 
of any one church or sect, he is an ardent 
supporter of the Gospel, and fearlessly awaits 



the summons of Him, "who doeth all things 
well." 



-r-^ DWARD \-. ROSS, treasurer of the 
P Howe Scale Company, of Rutland, 

\'ermont, is of Scotch descent. His 
great-grandparents, James and Phoebe (Gary) 
Ross, both lived to a ripe old age. They re- 
moved from Colerain, Massachusetts, to Graf- 
ton, A'ermont, at an early period. Some time 
later, they located in Shrewsbury, Rutland 
count\', \'t., where they died. Edward V.'s 
paternal grandparents were Joseph and Mary 
(Flanders) Ross. Both died early in life. 
Joseph Ross passed to his final rest April 2y, 
1830, at the age of thirty-nine years. He had 
previously lost his wife, who died in Septem- 
ber, i8ji, when tliirt_\-three years okl. Their 
son, Elijah Ross, is the father of the subject 
of this sketch. 

Elijah Ross was l)orn in Shrewsliury, \'er- 
moiit, January .21, 1819. He was admitted 
to the Rutland cuuntv bar, in September, 
1845. He ])racticcd his chosen profession for 
more than twenty years, and then retired. He 
is over eighty years of age, but is still active 
in both mind and body. He resides in Poult- 
ncy, \'ermont. July 2^. 1863, he was joined 
in marriage with Elmira \'ail, a daughter of 
.Mien and Polly (Gregory) \'ail. The mother 
of Edward \'. was Ijorn at Middletown, Ver- 
mont, on the blessed Christmas Day of 1829. 

Edward \'. Ross is the only child of his 
parents. He is a native of Rutland county, 
Vt., and was born at Middletown Springs, 




MARTIN liOLGKR. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



141 



June 23, 1857. \\nien a lad of nine years, his 
parents removed to Poultney. Young Ross 
attended public school during his youth, and 
subsequently pursued a thorough course in 
the Troy Conference Academy. He began 
his business career at the age of nineteen 
years, and, for three years thereafter, was as- 
sociated with Barnes Frisbie, in the publica- 
tion of the Poultney Journal. 

Later Mr. Ross removed to Rutland, and 
entered the service of the Howe Scale Co. 
as assistant shipping clerk. He soon gained 
the favor of his employers, and was promoted 
from one position to another, until Septem- 
ber, 1890, when he was elected to his present 
responsible position as treasurer of the com- 
pany. The works of this company are quite 
extensive, and rank among the most impor- 
tant manufacturing concerns in Rutland 
county. The products of the plant are shipped 
to nearly all parts of the world. October 12, 
1876, Mr. Ross married Helen S. Beals, a 
daughter of Harden and Eveline (Parker) 
Beals. Two daughters were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Ross. The elder one, Edyth Vail, grad- 
uated from the Rutland High School, in the 
class of '96. Since her graduation, she has 
been diligently pursuing the study of both 
vocal and instrumental music. The younger 
daughter, Inez Sophia, died April 26, 1891, 
in the ninth year of her age. 

Mr. Ross and his family reside at Number 
88 Church street, in a handsome residence 
built by him in 1888. They unite in worship- 
ing at the Episcopal church. The subject of 
this sketch is a Thirty-second degree Mason, 



and has honorably passed all the chairs in both 
lodge and commandery. He was elected 
treasurer of the grand commandery of 
Ivnights Templar of the state of \'ermont, in 
June, 1 89 1, and still fills that position. Al- 
though Mr. Ross has had no time for politics, 
he was calletl upon to serve the village 
of Rutland as trustee, in 1S92, and repre- 
sented his ward as alderman in the first city 
council. 




5i¥ri> lARTIN BOLGER, a prosperous 
young business man of Hydeville, 
Vermont, whom we represent 
with a portrait on the preceding page, is a 
member of the firm of Bolger Brothers, man- 
ufacturers of slate. This firm first beg"an busi- 
ness about 1879, when the subject of this 
sketch was twenty years old. At that time 
William Bolger was the other partner. 
Though there have been important changes 
in the business since its beginning the firm 
name remains unchanged. James Bolger is 
now a memljcr of the company, instead of 
William. 

Mr. Bolger was born in Fair Haven, Vt., 
February 29, 1859. He attended the com- 
mon schools, and at twelve years of age be- 
gan working in the quarries in the summer 
time. This has been the occupation of his 
life. He first worked in the Eagle slate quarry, 
in Poultney. • He then started business for 
himself, at Hydeville, in connection with his 
brother William. That was the beginning of 
the present concern. The quarry of the firm 



142 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



is in Pouitne}', and their mills are in Hyde- 
ville. In them forty men find steady 
emploxnient. 

November i, 1882, Mr. Bolger was joined 
in matrimonv with Aiuia Downs, a sister of 
I'. 11. Downs, a sketch of whom is fonnd else- 
where in this volume. One child, Catherine 
Louise, now blesses the home of ]\Ir. Bolger. 
She is a nujst attractive and interesting babe 
of two years. The subject hereof and his 
wife reside in a comfortable home in Hyde- 
villc, where they settled in 1896. In politics, 
Martin liolgcr is a Democrat, and performs 
valuable service for his party. He has served 
as justice of the peace. With his family, he 
worships at the Catholic church, in which 
faith he was reared. 

The subject of this memoir is a son of 
Thomas and Mary (Hennessey) Bolger, both 
natives of Ireland. His father was born in 
1809, and came to America about the year 
1853, with his wife and two children. They 
took passage on a sailing vessel, and after a 
long and tempestuous voyage, landeil at (Jue- 
bec. Thomas I'olger was a slate worker. He 
learned his trade in the old country, where he 
was a contractor as he was, also, in America. 
His marriage with Mary Hennessey resulted 
in the birth of eight children. Seven grew to 
m.'iturity. They are: Catherine; John; 
T'llk'n ; William; Martin; Thomas; and James. 
Catherine married Richard Conway, and died 
in middle life, at Hydeville. She left six, of 
her eight, children. John is a farmer on the 
old homestead in the town of Fair Haven, 
where his father settled about the year i860. 



The farm originally contained but one hun- 
dred acres; twenty acres have since been 
added to it. Upon this farm have been bred 
se\'eral fine horses, of blooded stock. Some 
of these horses have made fast time. One 
of them, "Hiram H.," was a pacer of renown. 
He beat all the other fast horses in Vermont, 
making a mile in two minutes and ten sec- 
onds. Ellen married John Conway, of Cooks- 
\ille. \"ermont. They have five children. 
William resides in Hydeville. Thomas lives 
in Bangor, Pennsylvania. He has a wife and 
one son. James is unmarried and is a mem- 
ber of tlie firm of Bolger Brothers. Martin 
Bolgcr's father died about 1865. His mother 
survived her husband, until 1888. 




IIARLES HENRY BOARDMAN, 
one of the leading farmers of Rutland 
count}-, \'t., resides on his splendid 
farm in West Rutland. This farm contains 
two hundred and tweh'e acres, and is the an- 
cestral home of the subject of this biography. 
I'ive generations of the Boardman family 
have lived on this farm, — four generations 
having been born there. The farm contains 
a fine marble quarry, which was partly devel- 
oped by Boston parties, who purchased some 
ten acres, which was later repurchased by the 
subject hereof. 

Charles Henry Boardman was born on the 
homestead farm in West Rutland, September 
II, 1 85 1. He is a son of Samuel and Grata 
(Ashley) Boardman. He was reared on the 
farm, and in its vicinity attended the dis- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



143 



trict school. Later, this schoohng was sup- 
plemented l)y further study in the Rutland 
High School, and one year's attendance at 
Fort Edward Institute, New York. In 
November, 1872, Mr. Boardman went west, 
to Colorado, remaining there until July, 1873, 
and then going to California, where he re- 
mained until September, 1876. While in Col- 
orado, Mr. Boardman conducted a cattle 
ranch, — he also engaged somewhat in gold 
mining in Placer county, California, where 
he had a brother, and where his uncle, John 
Ashley went, in 1853. 

In 1876, Mr. Boardman returned to the old 
home farm in Rutland, but, after remaining 
two years, returned to California in March, 
1878, where he remained two years longer; he 
finally went back to the Green Mountain 
State, where he has since remained. Settling 
on the home farm, in 1880, he continued there 
until 1883, when he went to Rutland and en- 
gaged in the bakery business with the Rut- 
land Cracker Co. ; after working in that con- 
nection for four years, lie resumed farming. 

June 23, 1886, Mr. Boardman won for his 
life partner, Mary Caroline Kilburn, an ac- 
complished lady, of artistic and musical abil- 
ity and culture. This most happy union was 
celebrated in the house where the bride was 
born, and was tiie source of two children, — 
one daughter and one son. Their names are : 
Katie Chaffee, who was born on the old home- 
stead farm, March 24, 1887; and John Gil- 
bert, who was born June 8, 1891. Both are 
bright, interesting and comely children, full 
of promise. Mrs. Boardman was born March 



7, 1852, and prepared herself for teaching. 
She graduated at Rutland, in 1872, and taught 
her first school when but fourteen years old. 
She afterward studied in Montreal and New 
York City, \\'here she perfected her knowledge 
of the French language, and was also en- 
gaged in the study of art. She followed the 
profession of a teacher for many years, teach- 
ing eight years in Rutland, and was most 
successful, and in the Mountain Seminary, in 
Pennsylvania, on the banks of the beautiful 
Juniata River. 

Mrs. Boardman is an active member of the 
Episcopal church. She still keeps her fine 
piano, and finds al)undant time to devote to 
her painting and music which she has not, by 
any means, forsaken. She is a daughter of 
John Bacon and Mary N. (Boutelle) Kilburn. 
Her father was born in Shrewsbury, Vt., April 
24, 1827, and died October 12, 1896. Her 
mother was born in Ashford, Conn., Decem- 
ber 2"], 1826. Her parents were married in 
Ashford, Conn., March 24, 1851. I\Ir. Kil- 
burn was a dry goods merchant for a period 
of thirty-seven years, and during the Civil 
War was captain of Company D, 7th Reg., 
V^ermont Infantry. He suffered for the re- 
mainder of his life from the effects of the army 
service on his health. He served four years 
as postmaster, and as a member of the school 
board, for fifteen years. His widow still sur- 
vi\es him, and is now seventy-two years of 
age, but continues active in mind and body. 
She lost two daughters in infancy, and has 
three daughters and one son still living. These 
are : Mary Caroline, wife of the subject hereof; 



144 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Charlotte A., a forewoman in Ross. Huntress 
& Co.'s store: Grace, a successful teacher in 
Rutland schools; and John Frederick, wlio re- 
sides in Hartford, Connecticut. 

Timothy Boardman, the great-great-grand- 
father of the subject hereof, was born in Mid- 
(lletown, Conn., December 2, 1727. He was 
joined in marriage with Jemima Johnson, who 
was a native of the same place, where her 
birth occurred. August 31, 1732. Their wed- 
ding was duly solemnized November 14. 1751. 
He died in May, 1792. Their son, Timothy, 
Jr.. was the next in line and was the great- 
grandfather of Charles Henry Boardman. 
Timothy, Jr., was born January 20, 1754. He 
won the heart and hand of Mary Ward ; their 
nuptials were celebrated September 28, 1783. 
The young folk at once settled in the new 
home previously selected by the husband, in 
Rutland county. X'erniont. At that time, the 
place was covered with timber and was only 
sparsely settled. This spot proved to be the 
ancestral acres now occupied by the subject 
hereof, and it is a source of gratification to 
the present generation iliat the broad inheri- 
tance has never been permitted to fall into 
the hands of strangers. Where once all was 
limber and wild land, now appears a fine 
farm, whose extensive, welbtilled acres, fine 
orchards of choice fruits and large sugar- 
maple groves, are a source of pride and de- 
light not only to its owner, but to all lovers 
of the beauties of nature, and all admirers of 
the ])rogress of our generation. The great- 
grandparents of Charles Henry Boardman 
reared a large family in their primitive home. 



namely: Hannah, who was born July 23, 
1784; Timothy, who was born March 11, 
1786, and died .\pril 2, 1857; Mary, who was 
born January 27, 1788, and died July 5, 1871, 
— the wife of deacon Barney, of Rutland, who 
is also deceased ; Samuel Ward, w ho was 
born November 27, 1789, and died in Pitts- 
ford, Vt., May 13, 1870, aged eighty-one and 
a half }ears (he was the father of Professor 
George Boardman) ; Elijah, who was Charles 
Henry's grandfather, and will be mentioned 
later; Charles Goodrich, who was born Feb- 
ruary 19, 1794, and died in West Rutland, 
aged eighty-two years; and Betsey, who was 
born June 13, 1796, and died April 26, 1873, 
nearly seventy-seven years old. She wedded 
Deacon Martin Foote, a farmer. 

Elijah Boardman, Charles Henry's grand- 
father, was born March 9, 1792, and died on 
the farm where the subject hereof now resides, 
September 24. 1873. aged eighty-one years, 
six months and fifteen days. October 25, 
181 5, he was united in marriage with Mary 
Foote, — the ceremony being performed by 
Rev. Thomas A. Merrill. "Grandma" Board- 
man was born .\pril 30. 1793. and died about 
the year 1863. at the home of the subject 
hereof, where so many of the family have 
passed away. Their children are as follows: 
William Martin, who was born January 20, 
1818, and died November 30, 1844, and whose 
son. \\'illiam. was a conscript in the Confed- 
erate army ; .Samuel, father of the subject here- 
of, a history of whose life will appear later 
herein ; Mary Elizabeth Foote, who was born 
August 5, 1825, and died January 7, 1833; 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



145 



Henry Sherman, wlio was born March 13, 
1828, and died June 28, 1846; Martha E. 
Foote, who was born August 4, 1832, and 
died in infancy ; Horace Ehjah, who was born 
May 18, 1835, and died in Kansas, February 
26, 1888, — leaving two sons, Dr. Edgar W. 
Boardman, of Parsons, Kansas, and Horace 
P. Boardman, of Cliicago, Illinois. Charles 
Henry's grandfather died September 24, 1873, 
and both he and his wife sleep the sleep that 
knows no waking in the "God's .\cre" at the 
foot of the hill, one mile away from the old 
homestead. 

Samuel Boardman, fatlier of the subject 
of this sketch, was born August 31, 1820. 
October 13, 1845, he was joined in matrimony 
with Grata Ashley, of West Haven, Vermont. 
She was born July 29, 1821, and was a fa- 
vorite daughter of John and Polly (Foster) 
Ashley, whose marriage was celebrated Janu- 
ary 20, 181 1. Samuel Boardman and his good 
wife settled on the old home farm, where their 
entire lives were spent. Their children were, 
— Arthur Flanders, who was born September 
5, 1846, and is a gold miner in Montana; 
Edward Hunt, who was born September 12, 

1848, and is a prosperous rancher in Califor- 
nia ; Mary Ella, who was born December 30, 

1849, ^nd resides in Medfield, Mass.; Charles 
Henry, the subject of this sketch; and Helen 
Eliza, who was born December 23, 1855, and 
is now the wife of Henry E. Tuttle of Somer- 
ville, Massachusetts. 

The fatiier of Charles Henry, like his an- 
cestors, never sought political distinction, 
but served in the town offices as selectman, 



etc. He also resembled his ancestors in his 
religious views, and was a member of the 
Congregational church, and always active in 
church work. His death occurred September 
25, 1888, and he was preceded to the grave 
by his faithful wife, who died March i, 1886. 
They lie buried in the Evergreen cemetery, 
and their children are all living. 

The foregoing record shows that the sub- 
ject of this sketch is descended from a long 
line of ancestors, whose lives were marked by 
peculiar characteristics. Most notable of 
tliese is the extreme longevity of many of the 
family. In view of this fact, Mr. Boardman 
entertains the belief that he, too, will sustain 
the family reputation in this respect. In his 
political action, Mr. Boardman casts his vote, 
and exerts his influence for the advancement 
of the principles of the Republican party. 



TT"*"™^ DGAR DAVIS, a prominent and 
P successful dairy farmer, residing in 

the northern part of the town of 
Rutland, Vermont, was born in Pittsford, 
Rutland county, Vt., November 24, 1838. He 
is the youngest son of Hiram and Ann (Hub- 
bell) Davis, and a grandson of Thomas Davis. 
Thomas Davis was a native of Chester, 
Vermont, and followed agricultural pursuits 
during all his active days. He reared five 
sons and two daughters, namely : Joel ; 
Thomas; Daniel; Hiram; Josiah ; Melinda, 
and another daughter who married a Mr. 
Wooley, of Pittsford, Vermont. Joel was a 
good, thrifty farmer and lived quite a seques- 



146 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tercd life on liis snug farm. He kept every- 
thing in order, and worked his yoke of faith- 
ful oxen, having, also, a small dairy of about 
six cows. Hiram was father of the suliject 
hereof. IMclinda was the wife of Asher Bur- 
dett, of Pittsford, \'crninnt. 

llirani Davis, the father of Edgar, was 
born in the year 1800, and was cut off by 
death while in the prime of life, his demise 
occurring in 1842, at the age of forty-two 
years. In 183 1, he wedded Ann Hubbell, who 
liorc him three sons: Albert Francis, wliose 
life histor\- appears later herein ; Allies C, a 
resident of Sioux City, Towa, where he owns 
the City Flouring Mills; and Edgar, the sul)- 
ject of this sketch. Ann (Hubl)ell) Davis, 
Edgar's mother, who was born in Monkton, 
\'ermont, Jiuie 15, 1799. \\as a daughter of 
Ephraim and Annis (Carter) Flubboll, and a 
granddaughter of Jedediah and Lucy (Xoble) 
Hubbell. Her maternal grandparents were 
Benoni and Anna (Comstock) Carter. All 
these ancestors were natives of Connecticut. 
After the death of Julgar Da\-is' father, Mrs. 
Da\'is contracted a second matrimonial al- 
liance, by wedding Artemus Pratt. Her death 
occurred January 6, 1865, at her residence, 
one mile south of Smith F. Kellcy's place, on 
the Otter Creek road. 

Edgar Davis was reared to a farmer's life, 
and was early ])Ut to farm labor, — receiving 
only a limited education, in the district 
schools of Rutland. .\t si.xtcen )ears of age, 
he left home and worked out on farms, for 
several years. Subsequently, he engaged in 
bridge building on the Rutland & Wasliing- 



ton road. September 9, 1862, the subject 
hereof was joined in marriage with Charlotte 
.\. Kellcy, a charming lady, of Rutland, \'er- 
mont. Mrs. Davis is a daughter of Alonzo 
and Clarissa (Spring) Kelley, ami a niece of 
Smith V. Kelley. ller father followed farm- 
ing many years, on one of the farms left by 
Grandfather Kelley. and afterward removed 
to the farm now occupied by Edgar Davis. 
This farm consists of one hundred and forty- 
eight acres, and is located in school district 
Xumber 16. It was occupied by Mr. I)a\is' 
father-in-law, in 1874. Mrs. Davis' mother, 
Clarissa (Spring) Kelley, was a daughter of 
.\mos Spring, and w as united in marriage with 
Alonzo Kelley, about the year 1835. C_)ne 
child, Charlotte, bles.sed this union. Mr. Kel- 
lev's death occurred in 1879, and he \vas sur- 
vived b\' his wife until ( )ctober, 1887, when 
she, too, passed awav, in her se\'eiU_\-fourth 
year. This wcirtln- cou])le were dex'out 
Christians, and faithfid members of the M. E. 
church. 

When eighteen }-cars of age, ]Mrs. Davis 
taught school Un one term. She was 
twentv-four years old at the time of her mar- 
riage with Air. Davis, to whom she has borne 
one son and one daughter. The son is Guert 
.\lonzo. who is a graduate of the Poultney 
Commercial School. He is now at home on 
the farm, and owns and conducts his own 
nulk rout'.' in Kutland. rendering \aluable as- 
sistance to his father, who keeps from fifty to 
fiftv-fi\x choice milch cows, and aboiU se\-en 
horses. Their daughter is Agnes Louise, 
who is also at home. She is a graduate of 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



147 



the Castleton Xormal School, and has taught 
several terms. 

Albert Francis Davis, Iirother of Edgar, 
lived on the old homestead, where the death of 
his father occurred when Albert Francis was 
only ten vears of age. The latter received 
the ordinary education of a farmer's boy. 
Upon attaining his majority, he worked out by 
the month on ditTerent farms and soon after 
learned the carpenter's trade, — following that 
line of work for six years. A part of that 
time, he was a l^uilder and contractor. He 
then engaged in the manufacture of lumber, 
on the Green Mountains, and enjoyed the dis- 
tinction of putting up the first portable steam- 
mill, with a single exception, in that section, 
Mr. Pierpont having previously built one. In 
his lumber enterprise, Mr. Davis was most 
successful, and made about $10,000 per year, 
for ten years. He was then induced to sell 
out for what seemed to be a fair price ; this 
was, really, an unwise act, as more money 
could be made in the manufacture of lumber 
than in any other way. From 1870 to 1875, 
Mr. Davis was engaged in buying and selling 
grain, and continued to do a large and pros- 
]ierous business, until 1897. He then sold 
out to Charles M. Smith, who had been in 
partnership with him for three years. Upon 
selling his interest in the grain business, he 
turned his attention to dairy farming, in which 
he is still largely interested. 

February 15, 1864, Albert Francis Davis 
was united in marriage with Hattie Gould, 
an accomplished daughter of Jacob Gould, a 
prominent farmer of Potsdam, New York. 



To ]\'Ir. and Mrs. Davis were born five chil- 
dren ; the first two were twin daughters, ^lary 
and Anna, the former of whom died at the 
age of three years, and the latter at the age 
of five vears. The third child, Willie, died 
in infancv. Their fourth child was Charles, 
now a resident of Worcester, Massachusetts. 
He is twenty-one years old, and attended the 
Polytechnic Institute, for a year, — afterward 
accepting his present position with the Wash- 
burn & Moen Company. The youngest child 
is Robert F. N., who is now a law student in 
Judge Merrill's office. 

Albert Francis Davis lives at Number 88 
Park street, where he erected his present fine, 
brick residence, in 1882, occupying the same 
in the spring of 1883. He purchased his lit- 
tle forty-acre farm some time previous to 
building the dwelling, and now has thirty 
acres more near by. — making a seventy-acre 
farm within the city limits. This tract will 
soon become a special addition to the city, 
and will be sold in desirable building lots. 

Mr. Davis is a Royal Arch Mason and, in 
politics, endorses the principles of the Repub- 
lican party. He has been an incumbent of 
town offices many times. Mrs. Davis is 
a member of the Congregational church, 
which denomination receives her liberal sup- 
port. The subject of this sketch is one of the 
progressive farmers of the town, and is a 
moral, law-abiding citizen. His influence is 
at all times used for those measures that will 
benefit the city. The family are faithful at- 
tendants of divine worship at the Congrega- 
tional church in Rutland. 



148 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




F.V. r.TBBS BRAISLIN, beloved pas- 
tor of the Baptist cliurcli of Rutland, 
'Vermont, where he has been sta- 
tioned since 1891, is an able and eloquent 
speaker. His sermons, which are both inter- 
esting and sound in doctrine, fall upon the 
ears of an appreciative congregation. The 
Baptist church in Rutland is a most progres- 
sive and prosperous church, — numbering 
among its members many influential and in- 
telligent citizens of that i)lace. Dr. Braislin 
devotes his time and energies to the welfare 
of his flock, and has no time for secret socie- 
ties, lodges, etc. 

The subject of this sketch was born July 29, 
1850, in Burlington, N. J., and is a son of 
Patrick and Tamar (Gibbs) Braislin. He was 
reared to farm life, and at seventeen years of 
age, left home and went to Philadelphia as 
clerk in a wholesale house, where he remained 
three years. He was engaged in the mer- 
cliandise business, during the following year, 
at Omaha, Neb., after which he returned 
home, and managed the old farm, fcir three 
years. Dr. Braislin graduated from the Ped- 
dle Institute, at the age of twenty-six years, 
and then entered Brown University, from 
which he also graduated in 1880, being one 
of a class of seventy members. In 18S2, he 
graduated from the Crozier Theological Sem- 
inary, after which he spent one summer 
abroad, — visiting all the countries of Europe. 
He continued his stvidies in Providence, R. I., 
until 1886, when he was ordained a minister 
of the Gospel, at Keyesville, New York. There 
h? was chosen pastor of the First Baptist 



church. This charge, althoug:h small in num- 
bers, contained members of wealth and refine- 
ment, and was very desirable as his first field 
of labor. Dr. Braislin was transferred to liis 
present charge in Rutland, after tJie five 
years spent at Keyesville. 

October 23, 1886, the subject of this sketch 
was joined in matrimony with Jennie C. Pyke, 
of Pro\'idence, K. I., where the wedding took 
place, at the home of the bride's father, 
Samuel I'yke. The name of Mr. Pyke's wife 
was, before marriage, Ella Francis Fish. Both 
of the parents of Mrs. Braislin are still enjoy- 
ing the pleasures of life. Two children bless 
the home of the subject hereof, and his es- 
timable wife, namely : James Pike, a bright 
boy of eleven years, and Edward Gibbs, a 
little lad of four years. 

Patrick Braislin, father of Rev. Gibbs Brais- 
lin, was a native of the northern part of Ire- 
land, whence he came to America, with his 
parents, at the age of thirteen years. He was 
joined in marriage with Tamar Gibbs, a most 
worthy and devoted companion. The young 
folk began life on a farm, where Air. Braislin 
followed agricultural pursuits very success- 
fully, for many years. Seven children were 
born to them, six of whom grew to matur- 
ity, — three sons and three daughters. Five 
are still among tlie living. Their names are: 
John ; Alice T. ; Mary (Cook) ; Priscilla H. ; 
and Edward. John is a manufacturer of brick 
and tile in Crosswicks, New Jersey. Alice T., 
and her sister, Mrs. Mary Cook, have a select 
school at Bordentown, New Jersey, which is 
known as the Braislin Institute. Priscilla H, 




UK. THOMAS MiUNI). 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



151 



was a fine mathematician. Twenty years dur- 
ing the prime of her Hfe was spent as professor 
of mathematics in the celebrated Vassar Col- 
lege, at Poughkeepsie, New York. She was 
the first woman professor in mathematics in 
the United States. She resigned that posi- 
tion, in 1889, to become the wife of Timothy 
Merrick, the noted thread manufacturer of 
Holyoke, Massachusetts. Mrs. Merrick 
crossed the dark river, in 1890, being a vic- 
tim of heart failure. Edward is the present 
pastor of the Baptist churcli at Colorado 
Springs, Col., where he went in 1895. This 
is his fourth pastorate. He also graduated 
from Crozier Theological Seminary at Ches- 
ter, Pa., after which he spent one year travel- 
ing in Europe, and the Holy Land. His first 
charge was at Mount Holly, New Jersey, 
where he remained for seven years ; his 
second was at Newton, Mass., where he 
continued for four years : his third was 
at the Washington Avenue Baptist church 
of Brooklyn, N. Y., where he preached 
for seven years, before going to Col- 
orado Springs. The revered father of this 
distinguished family of children was in easy 
circumstances, and the old homestead where 
these children were born and reared, was the 
scene of his death, in 1879. He was survived 
by his beloved companion but three years, — 
her death occurring, in 1882, at the age of 
seventy-seven years. 

In politics, Dr. Braislin follows the leader- 
ship of the Republican party. His many years 
of labor in the Master's vineyard have been 
productive of the greatest possible amount of 



good to both the church under his care, and 
to the community at large. He is a man of 
more than ordinary ability as an evangelist, 
with a warm heart and deep convictions, and 
is indeed the friend of all. His many friends 
and acquaintances in Rutland have learned 
to love him and respect his sterling worth. 



M 



R. THOMAS MOUND, a successful 
dentist of Rutland, whom we repre- 
sent with a portrait on the preced- 
ing page, is not only a practical business man, 
but is one of the most successful men of his 
profession in the state of Vermont. Dr. 
Mound was born January 31, 1850, in Lei- 
cester, Vermont. He is a son of Jacob and 
Eliza (Carr) Mound, and is of both German 
and Scotch ancestry. At ten years of age, 
Thomas left home to make his own way in 
the world, working on a farm until he was 
nineteen years old, attending school during 
the winter months when he could be spared, 
doing farm work the balance of the time. 
After he attained the age of nineteen years, 
he spent two years attending Brandon High 
School. Upon reaching his majority, young 
Mound went to Cambridge, Mass., as clerk 
in a commission house, where he found em- 
ployment for two years, subsequently becom- 
ing interested in dentistry with one Dr. Allen. 
Soon afterward he entered the ofifice of Dr. 
Wright in the town of Brandon, Vermont, in 
whose office he completed his apprenticeship. 
Li 1873, Dr. Mound located in Rutland, where 
he opened his first ofifice. After practicing 



152 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



his chosen profession alone for several years, 
he took into partnership with him, F. M. 
Schell, who was one of his pupils. The part- 
nership then formed existed until Dr. Schell's 
death. Dr. Mound enjoys a splendid patron- 
age in Rutland, and surrounding towns. 

Jacob Mound, father of our subject, died 
February 9, 1899, while a resident of the vil- 
lage of Sudbury, Vermont. He was born in 
Germany, in 18 18, where he was also edu- 
cated and reared. He chose for his life part- 
ner and companion, Eliza Carr, an attractive 
• young lady of American birth but of Scotch- 
Irish ancestry. 

On the twelfth day of December, 1876, Dr. 
Mound was united in marriage with Lizzie O. 
Wardwell, an accomplished young lady of 
Rutland. Mrs. Mound is a daughter of 
George J. and Margaret (Moore) Wardwell, 
now deceased, who were natives of Rumford, 
Maine, and Hatley, Canada, respectively. 

George J. Wardwell was an inventor; be- 
sides his daughter, Mrs. Mound, he left a son, 
George A., a merchant in Minneapolis, Minn. 
The mother of these children was called away 
from her earthly home. Some time after- 
ward, their father contracted a second matri- 
monial alliance, this time with Kittie C. E. 
Lincoln, who still survives him. George J. 
Wardwell was a remarkably gifted man, hav- 
ing a wonderful inventive brain, and was re- 
garded as a man of much natural genius. His 
death occurred as recently as 1895, and he left 
one little son by his second marriage. This 
son is called Charles H., and is a bright little 
boy who is said to resemble his father greatly. 



The home of Dr. and Mrs. Mound has been 
rendered especially happy, by the presence of 
one daughter, Margarita L., who w^as born 
December 10, 1886, and is now an interest- 
ing miss of thirteen years. Our subject and 
his wife are devout Christians, being consist- 
ent members of the Congregational 
church, as well as willing supporters. They 
reside in a handsome brick residence at No. 
68 Grove street, where they settled in 1888; 
our subject also owns other lots in the city. 

Dr. Mound is i1ot only devotedly attached 
to his profession and keeps himself well 
abreast of the times, but has some little time 
to devote to othef inclinations and pursuits. 
He is a lover of fine horses, and keeps one or 
more for family use. Socially, he is a Knight 
Templar. He is also secretary of the \^ermont 
State Dental Society, and has filled that hon- 
orable position for seventeen years. He is 
also president of the board of dental exam- 
iners, having been a member of that board for 
six years. In his political attachments, he 
votes a straight Republican ticket, but has 
escaped the worries and duties of political 
offices. 

The Doctor is a handsome man of rare and 
almost perfect physique, and enjoys the best 
of health. He is of a genial disposition, and 
has man\' friends. 



AMUEL TERRILL. It is with 
pleasure that we introduce to the 
readers of this volume Samuel Ter- 
rill, one of the most enterprising, industrious, 




RUTLAND COUNTY 



153 



and successful business men in Rutland, Ver- 
mont. He is senior member of the firm of S. 
Terrill & Son, wagon makers, who also do 
general blacksmithing and repairing. Their 
establishment is the largest of its kind in Rut- 
land county and the amount of business 
therein done is very extensive at the present 
time, with a bright lookout for a still greater 
trade. This is one of the oldest concerns in 
Rutland and was started in a small way, by 
Ziba Terrill, Samuel's father, in 1847. At that 
time there were but two tenement houses 
west of Court street, — those of G. C. Ruggles 
and Chipman Thrall, — and now ]\Ir. Terrill's 
large manufactory is nearer to the eastern 
boundary of the city tlian to the western. 

Early in life, the subject hereof was a horse 
shoer by trade, as was his father, before him. 
Later he assisted his father in doing general 
blacksmithing, in a small shop on Terrill 
street. After the death of that much beloved 
parent, Mr. Terrill removed to his present lo- 
cation, where he has conducted business very 
successfully for about forty years. He took 
his son in as a partner when the latter had 
attained a suitable age. The small shop built by 
his father was replaced by a large blacksmith 
shop, in 1858. About 1868 or 1869, wagon 
and sled making was begun, and from that 
time to the present, the business has steadily 
increased. In 1875, a two-story frame struc- 
ture was added, forty by one hundred feet, 
and in 1892 the large corner building was 
erected. The latter is three stories high, with 
basement ; its dimensions are twenty-eight by 
one hundred feet. Still later was built a re- 



pository for the work in the rear of the main 
building, — twenty by seventy feet in extent. 
The buildings are all frame structures, where 
from twelve to sixteen men are employed 
all the year round, in the manufacture of 
heavy wagons and sleds. Of late years, neither 
Mr. Terrill nor his son has been at the forge, 
as the former is busily engaged in the im- 
portant task of overseeing the work, and the 
latter is kept busy in keeping books and 
accounts. 

Samuel Terrill was born in Middletown, 
Rutland county, Vt., December 7, 1831. He 
is a son of Ziba and Viletta (Lindley) Terrill, 
and grandson of Samuel and Sally (Caswell) 
Terrill. Samuel Terrill was a farmer and lum- 
berman, and was a man of much prominence 
in his day. He owned both a saw and grist 
mill, which he operated with success for many 
years. He wedded Miss Sally Caswell, and 
they reared three sons and four daughters, 
one of whom was Ziba Terrill, Samuel's 
father. 

Ziba Terrill was born in Vermont, in 1809. 
and his death occurred in Rutland, in July, 
1859. He was a blacksmith by trade, and 
taught his son all the branches of that useful 
vocation. He was joined in matrimony with 
Viletta Lindley, who bore him the following 
children : Samuel, the subject of this brief 
sketch ; Valina Caswell, a maiden lady resid- 
ing with the subject hereof; and Lucilda, 
wife of L. L. Pearsons, of Rutland. 
Samuel Terrill's mother survived his father 
for some years, and passed to her final rest 
when sixty-six years old. She lies buried in 



154 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



the Evergreen cemetery, while the father rests 
in the old West street burial grounds. 

The subject of this sketch enlisted in the 
Union army as a private; he responded to the 
first call for volunteers in iS6i. After serv- 
ing three months in the ranks of his company, 
— "A," — he returned home to learn that his 
second child had been born during his ab- 
sence. In politics, he is a Republican, but has 
been too busily engrossed with his business 
to accept office. He is a faithful member of 
the Congregational church, and resides in a 
beautiful home at Number 14 East street, 
where he built and located October 10, 1888. 
He has two tenement houses on Terrill street, 
where he lived before moving to East street. 
On May 27, 1856, the subject hereof was 
united in marriage to Susan M. Warren, and 
the following children were born to them : 
William S., the junior member of the firm, 
who wedded Addie Clark, of Malone, N. Y. ; 
Susan E., an accomplished young lady, still 
at home; \'iletta, who is the wife of E. S. 
Curtis, resides in the same house with Sam- 
uel Terrill. and has three chiklreu ; Edgar 
Warren, who died at the age of twelve years ; 
and Anna F., who died when one and a half 
years old. 

When Mr. Terrill's paternal grandmother 
was seventy-five years old, she was a widow, 
and had five sisters who were also widows, 
and older than herself. Three of their broth- 
ers were deceased and left widows, making 
nine widows, in all. Another odd coincidence 
in this narrative is tiiat ^Ir. Terrill was born 
soon after his grandfather's death and his son 



was born soon after his grandfather's death, 
so that neither of them saw his paternal 
grandfather. 

Mr. Terrill is a free Mason and is a mem- 
ber of the conunandery, ha\ing passed all 
the chairs, — a past master, past commander, 
and past high priest. He has given his son 
all these degrees, which is a case almost with- 
out parallel, as the son is still qm'te voung. and 
took all these degrees in one year. The sub- 
ject of this sketch is regarded as one of the 
foremost citizens of Rutland. 



•^rrr>) /^ILL1.\M A. PATRICK is a 
^t\ / highly respected and influential cili- 
^ zen of Rutland. \'ermont, where he 
settled, in 1882, at Number 40 Cottage street, 
on the corner of Williams street, in a large, 
handsome residence, most pleasantly situated. 
Mr. Patrick was born in Ludlow, Windsor 
count}-, X'ermont. September 26, 1832. He 
was the recipient of a good education, obtain- 
ing his instruction at Ludlnw Ac;i(lem\-, which 
he left at the age of eighteen years, and com- 
menced working in his father's machine shops. 
Eater, he ser\e(l an apiirenticeshi]-) in the 
armory at \\'inds(.)r, \'l., where he remained 
for about one year and a half. In 1854, he 
began business for himself, in Ludlow, estab- 
lishing, at that time, the Ludlow Machine 
Works, and engaging in the nianuf.acture of 
wood working machinerv. He remained in 
that business until 1880, and was not only a 
skilled mechanic, but invented several ma- 
chines upon which he recei\ed patents. One 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



155 



in particular deserves mention ; it is a machine 
for turning out handles for forks, rakes, hoes, 
etc. At the instance of Senator Proctor, who 
took stock in the concern, Mr. Patrick 
went to Rutland, in 1882, and purchased an 
interest in the Lincoln Iron Works, one of 
the largest manufactories of stone and mar- 
ble working machines in the United States. 
At that time, Mr. Patrick accepted the super- 
intendence of the works, which he conducted 
in an eminently successful manner until 1897, 
and then disposed of his interest. 

The subject of this sketch enjoys the dis- 
tinction of being the first trustee of the vil- 
lage of Ludlow, and was one of the school 
committee, for several years. He was also 
representative of the town, in 1876 and 1877. 
In his political action he works hard and 
faithfully for the success of the Republican 
party, but has escaped of^ce, since residing in 
Rutland. In their religious connections, Mr. 
and Mrs. Patrick are members of the Univer- 
salist church. Socially, Mr. Patrick is a 
Mason of high degree ; he has taken fifteen 
degrees, and is past master of Black River 
Lodge. He is also a valued member of the 
imperial council of the Ancient Arabic Order. 
He joined the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of 
North America, September 13, 1854. Mr. 
Patrick was joined in marriage with Mina M. 
Parker, an entertaining young lady, of Lud- 
low. Mrs. Patrick is a daughter of Amasa 
and Louisa (Townsend) Parker, both of 
whom are now deceased. Mrs. Patrick is the 
only survivor of five children, — three sons 
and two daughters. Her father was a skilled 



mechanic and was well known as a manu- 
facturer of sporting rifles. Her brothers died 
young, and her sister. Julia A., wife of Morton 
H. Graves, died some years after her mar- 
riage, leaving two children. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Patrick have been born a son, William, and a 
daughter, Mary Louise, — the latter being 
now deceased. William, witli his wife, resides 
in the city of Rutland. Mary Louise became 
the wife of Roger G. Hall, of Chicago, where 
Mrs. Hall's death occurred November 4, 1888, 
at the age of thirty-one years. She was a 
most interesting lady, attractive in appear- 
ance and lovely in character, and was quite 
an accomplished musician. Her death was a 
most severe blow to her husband and fond 
parents. The subject of this sketch is a son 
of Jacob and Robie H. (Atwood) Patrick, and 
grandson of Matthew Patrick, who spent the 
greater part of his life in Windsor, Vt., where 
he died in 1880, at the advanced age of eighty 
years. He followed the vocation of farming. 
Jacob Patrick was a native of Windsor, Ver- 
mont, where his birth occurred, in 1802. He 
was a blacksmith by trade, and was a skilled 
and expert mechanic. He began business in 
1827, and conducted a machine shop in Lud- 
low, for many years, employing several men. 
In 1828, he wedded Robie H. Atwood, a pre- 
possessing young lady. She was born in Un- 
derbill, Vermont, in 1807, and bore her hus- 
band three children, namely : Elizabeth ; 
W^illiam A., and Emily A. Elizabeth, became 
the wife of Frederick Y. Gookin. She died 
in 1895, leaving one son, Frederick W., who 
is cashier of the Northwestern National Bank, 



166 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



in Chicago, 111., and one daughter, Mary H., 
also residing in Chicago. William .\. is the ^ 
subject of this sketcli, and lunily A. married 
Isaac V. West, of Saratoga, New ^'ork. where j 
Mrs. West died, in 1896. 

William A. I'atrick's father was a member 
of the state militia, and was known as Cap- 
tain Patrick. He laid down the burden of life 
in 1880, and was survived by his widow until 
Decendjer, 1892, when she, too, crossed the 
dark river of death, aged eiglity-fi\e years. 
The remains of this worthy couple rest in the 
Ludlow cemetery. Since going to Rutland, 
Mr. Patrick has identified himself with all its 
interests, and is considered one of its most 
valuable citizens. He has been faithful in the 
relations of life, and bears an excellent repu- 
tation for uprightness and fair dealing. 



AMUEL HODGMAN ERSKIXE, 
principal of the Rutland High 
School, is a gentleman of rare intel- 
lectual attainments and exceptional execu- 
tive ability, and, as his name indicates, is of 
Scotch origin. The first members of the Ers- 
kine family to come to America, were three 
brothers, one of whom was the great-grand- 
father of the subject of this sketch. These 
brothers settled in Whitefield, Lincoln coun- 
ty, ]Me., where Samuel Hodgman's grand- 
father, Moses Erskine, was born, in the year 
1801. 

Moses Erskine was a jirosperous farmer 
in Maine, and died, in 1889, in that state, in 
Alna, aged eighty-eight years. He took, as 




his life partner, a Miss Smith, and they reared 
two sons and two daughters, all of wiiom are 
now deceased. One son, William, was acci- 
dentalK' killed by a rolling log, while in the 
prime of life. 1 le left one son and one daugh- 
ter to mourn his demise, both of whom are, 
also, now deceased. Moses Erskine served 
in the War of 1812, and was a member of the 
state legislature, more than one term. He was 
a captain of the state militia, for some time, 
and was familiarly known as "Captain Ers- 
kine." He possessed a fine physical form, 
and was nearly six feet tall. In 1873, he was 
depri\'ed, by death, of the companionship of 
his nnich lo\ed wife ; both are buried in the 
Whitefleld cemetery. 

Cliristopher Erskine, father of the subject 
hereof, was born in tlie year 1S20. upon the 
same farm where his father's birth occurred. 
He enlisted in the L'nion army at Whitefield, 
Me., joining Company C, 19th Reg.. I\Iaine 
\'ols., ami was mortally wounded in the battle 
of Gettysburg, — dying within twenty-four 
hours after receiving his wound. His remains 
lie buried on a hill about fi\e miles from the 
battlefield. About the year 1843, Christopher 
Erskine wedded Abigail Hodgman, of Calais, 
Maine. Mrs. Erskine was born in the year 
1825, and survi\-ed her husband many years. 
She died in May, 1891. and lies buried in the 
cemetery at Whitefield, Maine. To this 
worthy couple were born eight children, 
namely: Charles; Thomas H. ; Sarah; Sul- 
livan; William; Abbie J.; George C, and 
Sanuiel H. Charles was born in 1845, and 
became a soldier in the regular army, soon 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



157 



after the Civil War. He was unmarried and 
died of fever at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 
Thomas H. died in Whitefield, Maine, in 
1877, leaving a widow. Sarah is the wife 
of A. Q. R. Peaslee, of Alna, Maine. They 
have one daughter. Sullivan died in Alna, 
Maine, in 1892, leaving a widow and one son 
to mourn his demise. William still resides in 
Whitefield, Maine. Abhie J. wedded Fair- 
field Coombs. She died childless, in 1886, at 
Round Pond, in the town of Bristol, Maine. 
George C, with his wife, resides in Minneap- 
olis, Minnesota. Samuel H is the subject of 
this brief biography. 

Samuel H. Erskine first saw the light of day 
February 2, 1861, in Whitefield, Lincoln 
county, Maine. He was born in the same 
house where his father's birth took place. 
Samuel was reared to a farmer's lot, — receiv- 
ing a practical, common school education. At 
the age of eighteen years, he began teaching 
school, and as soon as possible saved enough 
money to enable him to attend the Wesleyan 
Seminary at Kent's Hill, Me., from which he 
graduated, in 1886. He continued the profes- 
sion of teaching, for some time, and then 
entered Bowdoin College, from which he also 
graduated. That was in 189 1, when the de- 
gree of A. B. was conferred upon him. Dur- 
ing all these years, he worked his way through 
college by following his chosen profession, 
teaching. His first school, after graduating 
from college, was taught at Limerick, Me., 
where he was chosen principal of the Limerick 
Academy. He remained there one year, and 
next occupied a more lucrative position as 



principal of Lincoln Academy, at New Castle, 
Me. 

In the fall of 1893, Mr. Erskine accepted a 
situation in Rutland. Vt, as assistant to Prof. 
E. J. Colcord, — teaching subsequently under 
Prof. A. C. Thompson, whom he succeeded, 
in the spring of 1897, as principal of the Rut- 
land High School. This position Prof. Ers- 
kine still retains, and fills it in an eminently 
satisfactory manner. On August 24, 1893, 
Prof. Erskine was joined in matrimony with 
Amy Evelyn Albee, an accomplished young 
lady, of Alna, Maine. Mrs. Erskine is a 
daughter of Sutton and Rebecca (Blair) Al- 
bee, and is one of a family of seven children. 
She has three brothers and three sisters who 
are still living, as are, also, the beloved par- 
ents. To Prof. Erskine and his amiable wife 
was born, March 20, 1896, a daughter, whom 
they call Dorothy, and who is a source of con- 
stant wonder and delight to her fond parents. 
The subject of this sketch is a Mason, 
and has passed all the chairs of that 
order. In his political convictions, he, like 
his ancestors, supports the Republican party 
by his influence and by his vote. Although 
not a member of any church, he attends serv- 
ice regularly at the Congregational church in 
Rutland, and contributes liberally toward the 
support of other denominations. 

Physically, Mr. Erskine is an ideal man for 
the position he occupies. Li height he is six 
feet and one inch, and his fine form, splen- 
didly developed, gives him a commanding ap- 
pearance, which is emphasized by the natural 
dignity of his noble calling. Prof. Erskine 



158 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



is deservedly popular, and has made earnest 
efforts to raise tiie standard of every scliool 
under his charge. He is a self-made man in 
llic truest sense of the word. ;uid his life fur- 
nishes an example quite worthy of imitation. 




HAkLES F. WILLIS, a highly re- 
spected and worthy citizen of Rutland, 
\'t.. where lie is engaged in the 
transfer husiness. was horn in Rutland. Octo- 
her j8. 1849. He is a son of James and Fran- 
ces (Lamsford) Willis, and grandson of Elijah 
and Mary Ann (Kimball) Willis. 

Elijah Willis was born in England, about 
the year 1790, and while still quite young, 
crossed the ocean with his parents. He was 
a cooper l)y trade, and followed that occupa- 
tion during his active days. His death oc- 
curred in the village of Clhttenden, \'t.. al)out 
the year 1S73. He was twice married; his 
first wife was Mar\- Ann Kimball, before her 
marriage, ;mil llieir union resulted in the 
birth of one son. James. Some time after the 
death of his lirst wife. Mr. Willis married 
Mrs. Mar)- .\nn Lamsford, a widow lady, with 
one daughter, Frances. This second union re- 
sulted in the birth of one daughter. 

James Willis, father of Charles F., married 
Frances Lamsford, about the year 1842. 
James was born in Plymouth, Vermont, in 
September, 1822. Mr. Willis was a peddler 
for many years, and lived much of his life in 
Mendon, where he still resides; for 
many years lie followed teaming and 
jobbing, but retired froni active pursuits at the 



age of seventy-six years. Six children were 

born to him and his worthy wife, — four 
daughters and two sons. One daughter, 
Julia, when foiu'leeu years of age, together 
with the beloved mother, was killed by light- 
ning. The names of these children were as 
follows: Edwin R., born in 1845, 

died in 1877, at the age of thirty-two 
years; Adeline, wife of William Sar- 
gent, a prosperous farmer in the town 
of Mendon; Charles F., the subject of this 
sketch ; Julia, who was killed bv lightning at 
tlie age of fourteen years, as above mentioned ; 
Ida M., wife of Daniel Mahoney, residing 
in the \'illage of Ludlow, Vt.. and Imogene, 
wife of Eugene Newton, of Brandon, Ver- 
mont. — Mrs. Newton died at about the age 
of twenty-two years. lea\ing three children. 

Charles F. Willis attended public school 
until he attained the age of sixteen years, 
w hen he began teaming. One year later, the 
sad accident, previously alluded to, de- 
pri\ed him of his mother, and broke up the 
family. In i8f)(), in his twentieth year, he was 
united in marriage with Florence Ella 
Learned, who was then nineteen years 
of age. Mrs. Willis is a daughter of John K. 
and Electa J. (Kelly) Learned, — both highly 
resj^ected residents of Rutland. Mr. Learned 
is now retired from active business pursuits. 
Eight chiklren blessed their happy home, four 
of whom are now deceased. Their names 
are : Leonora, who died at the age of one 
and one half years ; Ida, wdio died in infancy ; 
E\-a, who tiled aged nine years ; and Cora A., 
wife of Charles P. Beebe . Mrs. Beebe died 




MONTRA\"ILLE A. BOURNE. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



161 



at the age of twenty-two years, together with 
an infant son. Those hving are: Mrs. Wil- 
Hs; Charles K., who resides in West Claren- 
don, Vermont ; Lucretia May, wife of Frank 
L. Vaughan, of Rutland ; and Belle S., wife of 
Dana W. Parkhurst, of ^Vorcester, Massa- 
chusetts. 

Mr. and Mrs. Willis have one daughter. 
Cassie Jane, wife of George H. Webb. So- 
cially, the subject of this sketch is a member 
of the Knights of Pythias. He settled at his 
present home at Number 8 Elm street, in 
1890. Mr. Willis does quite an extensive bus- 
iness ; he has three teams of his own, in addi- 
tion to which he hires others, — often having 
ten teams busily engaged at the same time. 
He often contracts for large jobs of hauling, 
and his many years of experience in this busi- 
ness have given him a keen insight into the 
proper manner of conducting it successfully. 
He is a gentleman who possesses the true bus- 
iness instinct to a marked degree, and al- 
though comparatively young, he has, in his 
career, toiled hard and long. The success 
which has come to him is but the natural re- 
sult of his incessant and well-directed 
efforts. 



'-r'TVp^ONTRAVILLE A. BOURNE, who 
¥— I — / for many years has been successfully 
^ ^— engaged in the coal business in 

Rutland, Vermont, is one of Rutland county's 
most prosperous business men, whose integ- 
rity is unquestioned and whose life is above 
reproach. He settled in his handsoine, com- 



modious residence at Number 45, Washington 
street, in 1884, the same year it was com- 
pleted, having previously lived in a house on 
the same lot since 1870. Mr. Bourne was 
born in the village of Wallingford, Rutland 
county, Vt., May 28, 1837, is a son of Edniond 
and Electa (Bradley) Bourne and grandson 
of Andrew and Lucinda (Barrows) Bourne. 

Montraville A. Bourne received a fair edu- 
cation in his attendance upon the public 
schools. He left home at the age of eighteen 
vears and worketl in the woolen factories for 
four years. He then went to Rutland, where 
he entered the employ of the Troy & Boston 
(now the Bennington & Rutland) Railroad, as 
freight agent, serving in that capacity for fif- 
teen years. He then became general freight 
agent for the Panama Railroad, Central 
America, until 1879, when he again became 
a resident of Rutland and embarked in the 
coal business ; he sold over 8,000 tons, and for 
twenty years, was one of the leading coal 
dealers in Rutland; but in 1898 he suffered 
from a stroke of paralysis and since that time 
has not been able to devote a great deal of 
time to his business. January 24, 1890, our 
subject lost his beloved wife and companion 
and has never ceased to mourn for her. 

Andrew Bourne, grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was a native of Massachusetts, and was a 
blacksmith by trade. He married Lucinda 
Barrows, and they reared five of their six 
children, — four sons and one daughter. 

Edmond Bourne, our subject's father, was 
born in Attleboro. Mass., February 14, 1806. 
In early manhood, he learned the carpenter's 



162 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



trade and became a prominent contractor and 
builder in the town of Danby, \'ermont, hav- 
ing also worked at the carpenter trade in the 
village of W'allingford, \'t. Her fatiier died 
early in life, leaving lier mother a widow with 
three sons and one daughter. Electa. In 
after years, Mrs. Bradley contracted a second 
marriage, and finally passed away in Danbv, 
\'t., at the age of eighty-six years. Edmond 
liournc passed to the life beyond the grave, 
July 8, 1879, and his widow still sur\-ives him. 
She is now eighty-four years of age and re- 
sides in Rutland at the home of her son, the 
subject of these lines. Eive children were 
born to her and her hus!)and, one of whom, 
a daughter, died in infancy. Two sons and 
two daughters grew to maturity, as follows: 
Charles; Montraville A., our subject ; .Sophro- 
uia; and Jennie E. Charles, a born mechanic 
and a s])lendid accountant, went to A'alj^ar- 
aiso. Ind., where he became a superintendent 
in a woolen factory; later in life, he returned 
to Rutland and accepted a position as rail- 
road accountant at the Rutland depot. He 
never married and died in 1892, at about the 
age of sixty. Sophronia became the wife of 
Herbert Smith, and died September 24, 1892, 
leaving one daughter. Jennie I-I. became the 
wife of Gavin Moffatt, and died in the Bur- 
lington Hospital, February 1. 1899, aged fifty- 
two years. 

Our subject is a believer in the Gospel, and 
has been a member of the Congregational 
church for twenty-nine years; in his political 
views, he is a decided Republican, and has 



served two years as trustee of the village, and 
as alderman two years. 

Mr. Bourne is peculiarly fitted for his pres- 
ent occupation and faithfully executes the 
wishes of a large circle of i)atrons. His j^ros- 
]jerity is due to his integrity and his excep- 
tional ability as a business manager. His 
portrait accompanies this sketch of his life, 
being presented on a preceding page. 




RS. CLARINDA WILLARD 
\'ERDER. Although an octoge- 
narian, the estimable lady whose 
name heads this sketch, is still a well-preserved 
and actixe woman. She resides at Number 
226 North Grove street, Rutland, \'ermont. 
She is the widow of Daniel V"crder, who died 
at his home at the same residence, March 21, 
1887, aged seventy years. 

Daniel Verder was born in Brookline, New 
Hampshire, July 2, 18 16. He was a son of 
Daniel F. \'er<ler, a grandson of George \"er- 
der. and a great-grandson of Samuel \'erder, 
who was a nati\'e of the state of ]\Iaine, and 
died May 20, 1857, aged eighty-six years. 

George Verder was born in Medfield, Mas- 
sachusetts. August 25, 1770. He and his wife, 
Nancy \'erder, reared sex'en sons and three 
daughters, all born during the interval be- 
tween 1796 and 1 810; some were born in 
Boston, and some in Townsend, Massachu- 
setts. The eldest of these children, George 
H., was born in Boston, in 1796, and died at 
the age of twenty-nine and a half years. The 
second was Daniel F., who was also born in 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



163 



Boston, August 2, 1798, and died in Brook- 
line, New Hampshire. December 25, 1867. 

Mrs. Verder's maiden name was Clarinda 
Willard. Her father died before her birth, 
and her mother was again married, becoming 
the wife of Levi Wetherhead, of Acworth, 
New Hampshire. She liad two sons by her 
second husband ; one of them died in infancy, 
and the other grew to manhood, and after- 
ward changed his name to WilHs. His widow 
is still living in Rutland, with her daughter, 
Mrs. Gary. Mrs. Wetherhead spent the clos- 
ing years of her life with her daughter, Mrs. 
Verder, passing to her final rest, January 13, 
1870. 

The subject of this sketch was united in 
marriage with Daniel \'erder, September q, 
1839, at Bellows Falls, \'ermont, where the 
young couple lived for several years, and 
where Mr. A'crder worked at his trade as har- 
ness maker. This business occupied his at- 
tention until 1853, when they removed to Rut- 
land. Mr. A'erder was village trustee, for 
many years, and also served as water commis- 
sioner and in other official capacities. He 
began life humbly, and by the industry and 
economy of himself and his noble wife, he left 
an estate valued at $70,000. He built a hand- 
some home for his family at Number 226 
North Grove street, Rutland. A few years 
after locating in Rutland, Mr. Verder built up 
a large and well-paying bakery business, and 
after conducting the same quite successfully 
for several years, finally sold the concern to 
Thomas J. Lyon. 

The subject of this sketch is the mother of 



eight children, and at the present time boasts 
of having twelve grandchildren. Her chil- 
dren are, — George Henry ; Isabelle ; Herbert 
Leslie ; Clara Elizabeth ; Virginia Annette ; 
Harriet Parks; Mary Louise, and Walter 
Daniel. George Henry lives in Rutland. Isa- 
belle is the wife of Charles Everest, residing 
in Glens Falls, New York. They have two 
children. Herl)ert Leslie died in Rutland, 
August 16, 1892, aged forty-eight years, leav- 
ing twin daughters and one son, Herbert 
Wendell. Clara Elizabeth was born in 1847, 
and died in Bellows Falls, A^t., at the early 
age of nine months. Virginia Annette is the 
widow of John Knight. She resides in Rut- 
land, at Number 17 Madison street, with her 
daughter, Mrs. W. L. Sargeant. (See sketch of 
Mrs. Knight which we append to this one.) 
Harriet Parks is a maiden lady residing at the 
home of her mother. Mary Louise is the wife 
of A. B. Connor, residing in Manchester, Ver- 
mont. Walter Daniel resides in Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania. He has one son, named Wal- 
ter Montgomery. Mrs. Verder is a devout 
member of the Episcopal church and has 
reared her children in the same belief. Sur- 
rounded by loved ones, she is spending the 
sunset of life peacefully and happily in the 
company of her children and grandchildren. 
Appropriately appended to her life history, 
is this brief record of her daughter, Mrs. 
Knight, and of the Tatter's husband and 
family. 

Mrs. Virginia Annette Knight, residing at 
her home at Number 17 Madison street, Rut- 
land, Vermont, is the widow of John L. 



164 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Knight, whose deatli occurred July 7, 1894, 
in Brandon, at the Age of fifty-three years. 

John 1-. Kniijlit was a natixc of llranilon. 
Vernidnt. a son of l.vnian and llanuah 
(While) Knight, and a i^randson of (Jrrin 
Knig'lit. John's parents were hoth natives of 
Shrewsbury, Vermont, and liad but two chil- 
(h-en. Jolui L. and his sister, Jnha. the widow 
of Ichal)od I'aine. now resichni; in llranthin. 
Tlie father of these chilih'en was a farmer in 
tlie town of ])ran<h.in, and lust his wife when i 
John was l)Ut six, and Jnha, fourteen, years 
of age. He was again married, and his deatli 
occurred August 22. 18O6: he was born in 
1803. John L. Knight left school at the age 
of seventeen years, and became a clerk in the 
Brandon ])ostofFlce ; after ser\-ing as chief clerk 
for seven vears. he was removed bv President 
Cle\eland. for political reasons, — John being 
a stanch Republican. He returned to the farm 
from Springfield, Mass., where he had been 
employed, remaining about one year, in order 
to recuperate his health. He then accepted 
a position as clerk in the Brandon postoffice, 
and was subsequently appointed postmaster 
of that village, — serving in that capacity, for 
ten consecutive years. At a later period he 
embarked in the grocery business in I'randon, 
which he conducted, for several years, very 
successfully. During a trip to Boston to pur- 
chase goods, Mr. Knight contracted erysipe- 
las, which resulted in his death. 

John L. Knight was joineii in matrimony 
with Virginia Annette Verder, an accom- 
plished daughter of Daniel and Clarinda \'er- 
der. This ha[)py event was celebrated at the 



home of the bride, November 27, 1873. Mr. 
Knight was a master Mason, and a member 
of the 1. ( ). ( ). I'", lie was also vestrvman in 
the Episcopal church, to which .Mrs. Knight 
and her only child belong. Bertha .Xnnette, 
their daughter, was born Septend)er 9, 1877, 
— the anniversary of her grandmother's wed- 
ding day. When nineteen years old, she 
wedded Will Lawrence Sargeant, of Rutland, 
their marriage occurring on May 19, 1897. 
Will Lawrence Sargeant is a son of William 
Henry and Abbie (Fish) Sargeant, who reside 
in Rutland, where the elder Mr. Sargeant is 
a master mechanic. Will Lawrence Sargeant is 
a railroad-ofifice eni])loyee. being cashier in the 
office of the treasurer of the Rutland Rail- 
road, in Rutland, and fills his position in a 
creditable maimer. 



T^HARLES LUTHER HOWE. Con- 
V J| spicuous among the young men of 

^ ^ sterling worth in Rutland county, 

Vermont, \\hom business or professional work 
has given a wide acquaintance throughout the 
county, and whose public services are ever 
highly esteemed, is Charles Luther Howe, at- 
torney-at-law, who was city attorney of Rut- 
land, Vt., where he is now judge of the city 
court. Mr. Howe was born in Mount Tabor, 
Rutland county, Vt., in February, 1855. He 
is a son of Luther Proctor and Mary Ann 
(Rounds) Howe, and a grandson of Joseph 
and Olive (Scott) Howe. 

The traditional history of the Howe family 
supports the theory that they are descended 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



165 



from General Howe, who was a sop Df Lord 
Howe, a nobleman of England. Joseph 
Howe, in early life, lived in old Rutland, 
Mass., but subsequently removed to the Green 
Mountain State. He wedded Olive (Proctor) 
Scott. Olive (Proctor) Scott was, before her 
marriage with Joseph Howe, the widow 
of Thomas Scott. She died in Potsdam, N. 
Y., in 1829, aged sixty-nine years. Thomas 
Scott died at the same place. His father was 
one of two brothers who emigrated from Scot- 
land. One of these brothers settled in Ver- 
mont, and was an ancestor of General Win- 
field Scott. Grandfather Howe died in Wal- 
lingford, Vt., about the year 1855. He and 
his wife reared three daughters and two sons. 
One of these sons was Thomas, who was a 
prominent farmer of Wallingford, and reared 
a large family. He lived the three score and 
ten years allotted to man. When a boy he 
served in the Revolutionary War as a sub- 
stitute for his half-brother. Charles Luther 
Howe is a great-grandnephew of the vener- 
able and well-known Judge Theophilus Har- 
rington, who, as a judge of tlie Supreme Court 
of Vermont, said that "a bill of sale of a human 
being, to be good before me, must be signed 
by the Almighty." 

Luther Proctor Howe, father of the subject 
of this sketch, was born in Ludlow, Vt., Janu- 
ary 6, 1 82 1. He has followed farming, prin- 
cipally, but is now practically retired from 
arduous labor. He has been a prominent man 
in his community, and was one of the select- 
men of the town. Along in the "seventies," 
he served both as representative and senator. 



and has been a deputy sherifif for more than 
thirty years. He has been twice married. He 
first wedded Mary Ann Rounds, a charming 
daughter of Ozial Hopkins and (Har- 
rington) Rounds, influential residents of Clar- 
endon, Vermont. This union resulted in the 
birth of three children, the eldest of whom 
died in infancy. The second child is Olive 
Adelaide, wife of Joel C. Baker, an able attor- 
ney of Rutland. The third child is Charles 
Luther, the subject of this brief sketch. The 
beloved mother of these children passed away 
from her earthly home, in 1864 or 1865, in the 
prime of life, her death being caused by an 
attack of pneumonia. Some time after the 
death of his first wife, Luther Proctor Howe 
married Helen Baker, an interesting daughter 
of Austin S. Baker, of Danby. This second 
union resulted in the birth of several children, 
all of whom are now deceased except one son, 
Luther P., who resides in Mount Tabor, 
Danby village, — a youth of seventeen years. 

Charles Luther Howe was mentally trained 
in the public schools. At the age of thirteen 
years, he left his father's home to live with 
his sister, Mrs. Baker, who then resided in the 
town of Wallingford, but subsequently re- 
moved to the city of Rutland. At the age of 
seventeen years, the subject of this sketch 
left school, and became a clerk in the drug 
store of Dr. E. C. Lewis, with whom he re- 
mained nearly three years. He then went to 
New York City, where he found employment 
in a wholesale notion house. At a later pe- 
riod, he went to Newark, N. J., and worked 
again as a drug clerk, and on the opening of 



166 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



the lectures of the New York Pharmacy, he 
entered that institution as a student. After 
attending three courses of lectures in 1875, 
1876 and 1877, he gratluated, in tlie latter 
year, as a pharmacist. 

But Mr. Howe was not content to make 
that his life work, and was finally persuaded 
to enter the office of his 1)rother-in-law, and 
read law; this he did, and in 1882, was ad- 
mitted to the bar. He began the practice of 
law under the firm name of Baker & Howe, 
doing a good business, until t886. Mr. Howe 
then entered the firm of Howe & Coolidge, 
and enjoyed a good practice, for five years; 
he has since practiced alone. He is an elo- 
quent speaker and an al)le attorney, and was 
appointed city attorney of Rutland in 1895, 
1897, and 1898. In November, 1898, he was 
appointed judge of the city court, and fills 
the judicial seat in a capable manner. March 
30, 1882, Mr. Howe was luiited in luarriage 
with Franc W. Murray, an accomplished 
daughter of \\'illiam and Sarah ( W'atkins) 
Murray, respected citizens of Rutland, Ver- 
mont. Mrs. Howe's parents are both de- 
ceased, — her mother ha\ing died at the age 
of sixty-four years. 

The subject of this sketch and his amiable 
wife have buried one daughter, Mary Louise, 
who died, aged twelve years. They have left 
to brighten their home one son, John Scott, a 
bright boy, born June 21, 1887. He is a 
manly little fellow, and possesses more than 
ordinary intelligence and judgment for one so 
young. He gives promise of true manhood, 
both mentally and morally. 



Mrs. Howe is an earnest Christian worker, 
and a member of the Episcopal church. Mr. 
and Mrs. Howe reside in their pleasant, com- 
fortable home at Number 96, Church street, 
where they settled in 1892. Mr. Howe votes 
a straight Republican ticket, and socially is a 
member of Center lodge. No. 34. F. «& A. M., 
of which he is past master. He is, also, a 
member of Davenport Chapter, R. A. M. 



CDW'ARD S. 
efficient dep 
county, \'er 



WHITTAKER. the 
puty sheriff of Rutland 
ermont, which office he 
has filled very capably, since March 20, 1883, ■ 
is an ideal man for such a position. He is 
a large man. well built and powerful. — a 
splendid tx-jje of ])hysical manhood, such as 
the Green Mountain State has turned 
out from the time of Ethan Allen, down 
to ihe present day. In fact, it has l)cen 
fre(|uently and trul\- said, that A'ermont has 
produced as many grand men, phvsicalh', 
mentall}-. ;uid morally, — eminent in peace and 
ui war, — as any other state in the L'nion. To 
this class our subject rightfully belongs. He 
was born in Rochester, \'ermont, October 17, 
185 1, is a son of .Vliram and Mary (Hoising- 
ton) W'hittaker, and a grandson of Jcdui and 
Ann (Carlton) Wliittaker. 

bihn W'hittaker was a natix'e of Connec- 
ticut, and of English ancestry. He spent his 
life in tilling the soil, and chose for his wife 
Ann Rowc, who proved to be a faithful and 
devoted coiupanion. She bore her husband 
i\\e sons and four daughters; three sons and 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



167 



three daughters are still living. The names 
of their children are : Edward ; Abram ; 
Susan : \\'illiam ; Ellen ; Ira ; Nancy : Mar_y ; 
and Harley. Edward was by trade a me- 
chanic. Early in life, he was superintendent 
of the chair works in Gardner, Massachusetts, 
but when the Civil \\'ar broke out, he enlisted 
in the Union army, as a volunteer in the 2nd 
Reg., Massachusetts Vols., serving through 
the entire war. He was a graduate of the mili- 
tary school in Norwich, Vermont. His death 
occurred in Keene, New Hampsiiire, in June, 
1898, 3t the age of seventy-five years. Abram 
was the father of the subject hereof. His 
career will be mentioned later herein. Susan 
(Morse) resides in Reading, Vermont. Wil- 
liam is a mechanic, and also resides in Read- 
ing. Ellen is the widow of Delos Cady, of 
Weathersfield, Vermont. Ira is a prosperous 
farmer of Rochester, Vermont. Nancy (Swan) 
died about the year 1857. Mary is the widow 
Shalles, of Woodstock, Vermont, and Har- 
ley is a prosperous and progressive farmer, 
of Chester, Vermont. The grandmother of 
Edward S. passed peacefully away about the 
year 1867, at the advanced age of seventy- 
eight years. Her companion followed her to 
the life beyond, in 1874, aged eighty-four 
years. Their remains rest in Reading, Ver- 
mont. 

Abram Whittaker, the father of Edward S., 
was born May 27, 1825. He was joined in 
marriage with Marian Hoisinger, an attractive 
young lady who was born . jn At- 
tica, New York, January 4, 1829,' and is a 
daughter of Sables Hoisinger, Tlieir happy 



union was celebrated in Bethel, Vermont, on 
January i, 1850. The young folk settled in 
Rochester, Vermont, where they still reside 
on one of the two large farms owned by Mr. 
Whittaker. Thus their declining years are 
being spent in peace and quiet, and attended 
with every comfort, — the just reward of lives 
usefully spent. This worthy couple were 
blessed with three children, all sons, of whom 
Edward S. is the eldest. The others are Her- 
bert W., who, with his wife and daughter, re- 
sides at the old home in Rochester, and War- 
ren W., whose death occurred July 19, 1889, 
at the age of twenty-five years. 

Edward S. Whittaker was graduated from 
the Rochester High School, and made his 
home with his parents until he attained his 
majority. He was a brass worker in the 
Howe Scale Works, entering the service of 
that company, March 20, 1878; he still re- 
mained in their employ when the works were 
removed to Rutland. He was a skilled work- 
man, and was a mechanic in the shops of the 
Howe Scale Company, for twelve consecutive 
years. September 5, 1877, Mr. Whittaker was 
united in marriage with Addie Goodno, an 
accomplished daughter of K. H. Goodno, of 
Rochester, Vermont, who died in September, 
1894, leaving an only daughter. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Whittaker were born two children, Earl 
and Anna Marian. Earl, who was born April 
13, 1884, is a bright, promising lad; and Anna 
Marian, who was born September 3, 1888, is 
a comely and attractive girl. 

Mr. Whittaker is a Thirty-second degree 
Mason, and also belongs to the K. of P, order. 



168 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



In politics, both liis influence and his vote are 
used in support of the RepubHcan party, and 
lie has also served as a police officer in 
Rutland. 

In 1881, the subject of this sketch erected 
a fine residence at Number 13 Royce street, 
which he occupied on October 17th of the 
same year. This was the second dwellint^' built 
on that street, which is now well Iniilt up. 
with nianv substantial and roomy liomes. 

Edward S. Whittaker has not been looking 
for evil-doers and criminals for so many years, 
without a good many adventures and rough 
experiences, but he has always "landed" his 
man when finding him, although it has cost 
him some serious encounters which would 
have baffled a man of less courage and physi- 
cal power. We will briefly mention one en- 
counter which might have resulted seriously 
to Mr. Whittaker, had he not been equal to 
the occasion. In March, 1891, he was en- 
deavoring to locate and arrest one Charles 
Constantine, who was wanted on the charge 
of assaulting a woman on the street in Rut- 
land. Search was made for him in the citv. but 
without avail. Mr. \\'hittaker, accompanied 
by a policeman, was to board the sleeper of a 
train about to leave, but the policeman, whose 
name was Bruten, failed to get in from the 
search through the city. Mr. Whittaker, 
properly disguised, boarded the train alone, to 
watch for his man, who, he had reason to be- 
lieve, would take the train at Proctor, which 
he did. Mr. Whittaker waited and watched 
his man until the train had passed Brandon, 
\vhere the culprit seamed to be on the look- 



out for officer^. Satisfied of his ability to cope 
with such an antagonist, who proved to be a 
professional bo.xer, he accosted him, and after 
a brief con\-ersation, told him he had a warrant 
for his arrest. Wliile in the act of producing 
the handcuffs, the offender grappled with him, 
and the car w'as immediately the scene of a 
li\-ely struggle, in which much glass was 
broken from the car doors. The prisoner 
was only secured after the deputy sheriff had 
knocked him down, whicli was not easily ac- 
complished as the ruffian, too, was a large and 
powerful man, weighing at least two hundred 
pounds. After securing his captive, Mv. 
Whittaker returned with him to Rutland, 
where justice was meted out to him. Con- 
stantine was not only a man of great size and 
strength, about twenty-six years old, but, also, 
a desperate criminal. He was armed with a 
knife, a razor, and a revolver, either of which 
he would have used quite freely, no doubt, 
had he not been taken unawares. It was a 
matter of congratulation to the subject of this 
sketch, that, without assistance, he was en- 
abled to secure such a desperado without any 
serious harm to himself, — having received in 
the encounter onlv a few bruises and scratches. 



|YRUS ALVERTON JOHNSON, 
scale inspector for the Delaware i^ 
Hudson Canal Company at Rutland, 
Vermont, was born in the town of Rutland 
(now Proctor), July 18, 1854. Mr. Johnson 
had the advantage of a high school education, 
with a finishing course at Castleton Seminary. 




»^:.; -yr-.. 



SIMON R. SARGENT. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



171 



He left home in the spring of 1878, and en- 
gaged with the Howe Scale Company, re- 
maining in their employ for thirteen and one 
half years, and traveling for them, a part of 
the time, in the South and West. He has 
been inspector for the Delaware & Hudson 
Canal Company, since February i, 1892, 
going over their entire system. 

March 28, 1877, the subject of this sketch 
was joined in marriage with Stella Elvira Mur- 
dick, a pleasant and agreeable young lady. 
One daughter blessed their union, but only 
for a short time, as she died in infancy. In 
his political con\-ictions Mr. Johnson is a Re- 
publican, but has served only as school com- 
missioner or superintendent of the schools in 
Mendon. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are both 
members of the Baptist church, in which they 
are willing and active workers. They reside 
in their own home at Number 12, Nichols 
street, where they recently built a handsome 
residence and settled, directly opposite their 
former home. Mr. Johnson is a musician of 
some note, and plays well on the French horn 
or cornet ; he has, also, presided at the organ 
in the Baptist church for many years. He is 
a son of Cyrus Ladd and Sarah T. (Bingham) 
Johnson, and a grandson of John R. Johnson. 

John R. Johnson was a prosperous and pro- 
gressive farmer, of Rutland, tilling the soil on 
a farm where his father had settled among the 
early pioneers. His wife reached the advanced 
age of one hundred and two years, and might 
have lived much longer, but was the victim 
of a sad accident ; when lighting her pipe, her 
clothing caught fire, and she was so badly 



burned as to cause her death. She was of 
Scotch ancestry and descended from a race 
of rugged pioneers, noted for longevity. 

Cyrus Ladd Johnson was born in West 
Rutland, in 181 8, and died in Proctor, in Oc- 
tober, 1889. He was twice married. His first 
wife bore him one daughter. His second wife 
was a Miss Sarah T. Bingham, before her mar- 
riage. By her he had four sons and two daugh- 
ters. After the death of her husband, Mrs. 
Johnson's health gradually failed, and she sur- 
vived him but four years. Three of her sons 
and one daughter are still among the living, 
namely : Laura, widow of Rawson Humph- 
rey; Asahel B., who resides in Pittsburg, 
where he is engaged in the scale business; 
Cyrus Alverton, the subject of this sketch; 
and Frank Nahum, of Rutland. 

The character of Mr. Johnson has secured 
for him both the respect and affection of his 
associates ; he is sympathizing and generous, 
and is a man of fertile resources, great abil- 
ity, and untiring energy. He is a citizen of 
high honor and integrity, and enjoys the high- 
est esteem of his fellow townsmen. 




IMON R. SARGENT, an expert ma- 
chinist, and also a prosperous busi- 
ness man, of Castleton, Vermont, is 
the senior member of the firm of S. R. Sargent 
& Son, manufacturers of the "76" swivel 
plows, shovel plows, road plows, scrapers, cul- 
tivators, etc. 

Mr. Sargent first became connected with 



172 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



this business, in 1883. At that time, he re- 
moved from Worcester to Castleton, and pur- 
chased a Iialf interest in a i)lo\v factory. Tlie 
l)usiness was conducted under tlie firm name 
of Barrows & Sargent, and manufactured tlie 
celebrated "76" plow. The firm did a pros- 
perous business until 1892, when Mr. Barrows 
retired from the firm, and Simon R. Sargent's 
son was taken in as a partner. Then it was 
that the present firm was formed. By diligent 
attention to the Ijusiness and by making im- 
provements on the plows, the products of the 
factory have been steadily increased. The 
plows are now patented. The twelve-horse 
power steam engine being no longer sufficient 
has been replaced by a twenty-two-horse 
power gasoline engine, of modern make. The 
])lant turns out aliout fifteen hundred plows 
per year, and furnishes constant employment 
for nine men. The plows retail at from $8.50 
to $19.00 each, and are sold on a positive 
guarantee to give satisfaction. Idiey are con- 
ceded to be the best thing on the market. 

Simon R. Sargent was born in Dummers- 
ton, Vt., March 19, 1833. He is a son of Ros- 
well Sargent, Jr., and a grandson of Roswell 
Sargent, Sr. The first representative of the 
family to come to America from England, was 
one John Sargent, five or six generations ago. 
He settled at Fort I )unmier, \>rmont. Ros- 
well Sargent, .Sr,, was a drummer bo_v in the 
French and Indian War. He was a farmer 
in the vicinity of Brattleboro, Vermont. He 
settled there in the woods with his voung 
bride, the journey to that point being made 
on horseback. They both rode on one horse, 



which had no equipments except a bridle with 
which to guide it. They began life humbly, 
and by industry and economy, attained a com- 
petence. They reared fi\e sons and four 
daughters. .All married and reared families 
except one daughter, Olive, who lived to be 
an octogenariart. One son, Lewis, went from 
Michigan, across the plains, to California. He 
had a long and perilous journey, and ex- 
pended all his money on the way. Wliile in 
California he suiTered a long illness. He fin- 
ally returned east, alive, but without means. 
During his eventful life, he experienced many 
similar vicissitudes of fortune and lost all he 
possessed. But he was heroic, and made a 
good fight as long as he li\ed. 

Another son, Nelson, the youngest of the 
family, also led an adventurous life, filled with 
"ups and downs." His first experience was 
that of stage driver between Keene, N. H., 
and Boston. Subsequently, he was a real es- 
tate agent, and met with adversity. He fin- 
ally became a stage agent, at Kansas City, 
and, afterward, at Oil City Junction, Penn., 
where he again lost all he had. But he per- 
severed until he finally struck oil and retrieved 
his losses. At a later period he settled in 
Denver, Colo., where he continued to pros- 
per. About 1836, he returned to the scenes 
of his boxhood, and purchased a fine house. 
He sold this, and, after a time, again returned 
to Colorado, where he died in old age, leav- 
ing one daughter. 

Simon R. Sargent's grandfather died at a 
good old age and was survived by his widow 
until about the year 1850, when she died in her 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



173 



ninetieth year. Their remains rest at Brattle- 
boro, Vermont. Roswell Sargent, Jr., was 
born at Brattle1)oro, in 1799, and died at the 
same place in 1S68. About the year 18 15 or 
181 6, he was joined in marriage with Esther 
Miner, who was born in Dover, Vermont, in 
1 80 1. Tliese young people settled on the 
farm near Dummerston, where Simon R. wa.' 
born, and spent their entire lives there. The 
mother of Simon R. died in 1862, aged sixty- 
one years. She bore her husband six sons 
and two daughters, namely: Simon, who died 
young; Henry; Leavett ; Fitch; ]\Iarcia ; Hor- 
ace; Chester; Simon R., the subject of these 
lines, and Sophia. 

Henry is a retired mechanic, and has one 
son. Leavett died in Brattleboro, Vt., leav- 
ing one daughter. Fitch died in Templeton, 
Mass., in his sixtieth year, leaving two sons. 
Mar(;ia is the widow of Oscar Dix, and re- 
sides in Dummerston, Vermont. Horace is 
now deceased. He never married. Chester 
resides in Brattleboro, Vermont. He has four 
children. Sophia married Charles Dutton, of 
Dummerston, who died in 1896. Simon R. 
ol)tained a connnon schooling, only. He re- 
mained home until he reached the age of 
twenty-one years. He then went to Worces- 
ter and entered the employ of the great con- 
cern of Ruggles, Nourse, Mason & Co., with 
whom he remained for thirty-two years, as a 
mechanic. 

February 24, 1858, Mr. Sargent was joined 
in marriage with Janette A. Phelps, a daugh- 
ter of Leander and Lucy Phelps, respected 
residents of Athol, Massachusetts. Mrs. Sar- 



gent's parents are now deceased. They reared 
four sons and one daughter, the wife of the 
subject hereof. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent lost 
their first born. Pearl, who died at the age 
of eight years. They still have one 
daughter, Cora J., and one son, Walter 
R. Cora J- is the wife of A. E. McKenzie, of 
New York. She has one daughter. Walter 
R. is the junior member of the firm of S. R. 
Sargent & Son. He married Susie Fuller, of 
Rutland. Their marriage was celebrated 
May II, 1878. In politics, Mr. Sargent is a 
Republican, but has been too busy for of^ce. 
Socially, he is a member of the Knights of 
Honor. 

Such men as Simon R. Sargent are impor- 
tant factors in the development of industries, 
and rank as useful and valuable citizens in any 
community. It is with pleasure that we pre- 
sent his portrait on a preceding page. 



f^YxA.MES C. KING. There are few men 
better known to the citizens of Rut- 
land county than the gentleman named 
abo\e, who resides upon a farm in the town 
of Mount Tabor. A man of strong person- 
ality, profound wisdom in the afifairs 
of every day life, and courage to sus- 
tain bis convictions, he has attained 
prominence in various lines of endeavor. 
Undoubtedly the greatest of his gifts is the 
power of healing, mainly by the use of his 
hands, — he being endowed by Nature with a 



174 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



magnetic influence or a Divine touch, — which 
it is, he is unaljle to determine. He has not 
abused this great endowment, as is too often 
tile case, but lias used it for the l)enefit of 
others, at a large personal loss. Mr. King is 
a son of Thomas T. and Samantha (Sprague) 
King, and was born in Mount Tabor, ^'t.. Jan- 
uary 27, 1837. 

William King, the grandfather of the sub- 
ject hereof, was born at Portsmouth, England, 
and there learned the trade of a glass blower, 
being foreman in the .shops of Lord Elonzo, 
the greater part of his life, and considered an 
expert artisan. He was married there and 
raised a very large family of children, of whom 
Thomas T. was the seventh .son. It is a 
curious fact that the figure seven has played 
an important part in the afYairs of this fam- 
ily, since a time of which there is anv record. 

Thomas T. King ran away from home at 
the age of seven years, after a punishment, 
enlisting as powder boy on an English govern- 
ment cruiser. He served in the navy seven 
years, and was in the battle of Trafalgar, 
under Lord Xelson. He received a severe 
wound which made it necessarv to have a 
bone taken out of bis leg, amputa- 
tion being, for a time, deemed inevitable. 
The surgeon was preparing to perform the 
operation, when he incpiired the boy's name, 
and greatly to his surjjrise, he learned that 
thev were brothers. — his familv haviu"- Ions 
thought that Thomas was dead. He deter- 
mined to sa\e the boy's leg, and was success- 
ful, although it required seven years for him 
to get well. Thomas T. also served under 



Lord Wellington, at Waterloo, and distin- 
guished himself there by gallantry iij action. 
At the age of thirty-two years, he came to 
! .Vmerica and was united in marriage with 
Samantha Sprague, a daughter of Joseph 
Sprague, who came to \'ermont, from Rhode 
Island. Samantha Sprague was born at Wal- 
lingford, \'t.. receiving her education there, 
l)ut, later, removed to Huntington, Ver- 
mont. There her father had purchased 
three thousand acres of land, which he 
(li\idcd among his children, — each re- 
ceiving a farm. After his marriage, the 
father of James C. went back to England, 
but soon returned, and with $3,000, which his 
family had given him, he purchased a saw mill 
property, including considerable timber land. 
He ojjcrated this for some time, and finallv 
relinquished it, going to work in the mill of 
E. Lapham, of Mount Tabor. He had a fam- 
ily of thirteen children, of whom James C. 
is the se\'enth son. Thomas T. King was a 
member of the convoy which took Bonaparte 
first to Elba, and then to St. Helena, and was 
well acquainted \vith Bonaparte's father. 

James C. Kitig was very delicate as a lioy, 
and, therefore, was enabled to get but a lim- 
ited education, though making the best of his 
opportunities. He grew stronger, however, 
and became a very successful business man, 
being known as one of the first lumbermen 
in his town. He operated very extensively, — 
renting four mills and employing a force of 
fifty men, and manufactured all kinds of build- 
ing material. In addition to this, he had a 
very large custom trade. He kept the mills 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



175 



running all the time, and ranked as one of the 
most prominent business men of the commu- 
nity. He finally disposed of his interests to 
Mr. S. L. Griffith. In 1867, he bought a farm 
on which he built the home in wliich he now 
resides. He has a fine farm of ten acres, all 
of which is under a high state of cultivation. 
He raises berries of an exceptional quality, 
and various other farm products, finding this 
mode of life very profitable, as well as a great 
pleasure. The district school is located upon 
his land, and of this as well as of all other 
public institutions, he has been a hearty sup- 
porter. 

The most remarkable thing a'^out Mr. King 
is his marvelous gift of healing, which lie has 
for years exerted for the benefit of the poor. 
His patients are nearly all residents of the 
community, and at all times stand ready to 
testify to the curative power he possesses. It 
is quite refreshing in these days in which im- 
positions abound, to encounter a man with 
wonderful gifts, who has absolute proofs of his 
success. He uses very little medicine, doing 
all the work by the laying on of his hands. 
He gained considerable notoriety by this 
means, the newspapers in the vicinity having 
taken the matter up, and as his fame in- 
creased, he had more patients than he could 
attend to, — curing seventeen hundred in the 
short space of one year. It was mainly the 
poor to whom he ministered, and owing to 
the great expense which he incurred, he found 
it necessary to abandon such treatment, feel- 
ing content in the fact that he had saved so 
many from a life of misery. Politically, Mr. 



King is an enthusiastic Republican, but 
through his strong opposition t/o the existing 
boss-rule, he has aroused the enmity of sev- 
eral persons of prominence and influence. 
This sort of rule has led to making his one of 
the highest taxed towns in the United States, 
the poll tax at the present time being ten 
dollars, and in 1896 and 1897, twenty dollars. 
He has held several township ofifices; he was 
elected to the State Legislature, in 1888, and 
was postmaster at Brookline, Vt., for a period 
of twelve years. Religiously, he is a Spirit- 
ualist. The subject of this sketch is the father 
of two children, namely: Charles T., of Rut- 
land; and Ida :\I. (Hoyle), of Everett, Mas- 
sachusetts. 




RS. LUCY (CUTLER) KIDDER, 
of Fair Haven, Vermont, is one of 
the l.)est preserved ladies, of her 
age, in Rutland county, and is a person of rare, 
good sense and judement. She resides in a 
beautiful home on South Main street, just 
outside the corporation limits. She is the 
widow of Asahel H. Kidder, who died at the 
above named place of residence, February 2"], 
1876, aged sixty-three years. 

Asahel H. Kidder was born in W^eathers- 
field, Vermont. He was a son of Oliver and 
Phoebe (Hewlet) Kidder, and was brought 
to Fair Haven l>y his parents when he was 
but six weeks old. His father was a pros- 
perous farmer antl purchased two hundred 
acres of land, a part of which was in New 
York, and the rest in Vermont. Oliver 



176 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Kidder and his worthy wife were blessed with 
nine children, — three sons and six daugh- 
ters. Asahel H. Kidder was the youngest of 
the family, (^ne of the daughters lived to be 
seventy-seven years old. ( )li\cr Kidder died 
about si.\ months prior to the death of his 
wife; each passed away when eighty-four years 
old. They rest in the Fair Haven cemetery, 
on West street. Mr. Kidder was joined in 
marriage with the subject of this sketch in 
February, 1841. He was a Republican, in 
politics, and a faithful servant of the people. 
He served as selectman, and spent three terms 
at Montpelier, as a member of the legislature. 
He inherited a part of his father's farm, and 
added to it until he had four hundred and 
thirty acres in one tract, located in Vermont 
and Xew York. His widow now has over two 
hundred acres in X'ermont, alone. IMr. Kid- 
der was a deacon of the Congregational 
church at Fair Ha\en, for many years. 

Mrs. Kidder was born in Highgate, Vt. She 
is a daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Barr) 
Cutler. Soon after their marriage, her par- 
ents settled on a farm near Highgate. This 
farm has but recently gone out of the posses- 
sion of the family. Mrs. Kidder is one of nine 
children, all of whom grew to manhood and 
womanhocKl. I'ive were sons and four were 
daughters, as follows: Hiram; Albert G. ; 
.Martha; Flizabeth \\ . : l.uc\- : Joseph ; (jeorge 
11. ; -Allen 1!.. and Mary. Hiram died uimiar- 
ried, when onl\- twenty-three years old. He 
was bright and studious and was endeavoring 
to tit himself for the medical profession. Al- 
bert G. died at the age of twenty-nine, and left 



three children. Martha married Lorenzo 
Pomcroy. She died at the age of seventy- 
two. — leaving three of her five children. Eliz- 
abeth W. married George M. Kidder, a 
lirothcr of Asahel H. Kidder. She died when 
twenty-eight years of age, leaving four chil- 
dren. Joseph A. is a prominent lawyer in 
New York City, — now, practically, retired. 
He has a wife, only. George B. is a success- 
ful physician in Bakersfield, Vermont, and is 
now seventy-three years old. He has one 
daughter and one son. Allen B. is a retired 
citizen of Highgate, Vermont. He has lost 
three of his five daughters. Mary was twice 
married. Her first husband was A. D. Smith, 
and after his death, she married Z. C. Ellis, 
who died in 1886, aged sixty-three years. Mrs. 
ElHs died Alay 10. 1899. 

Mrs. Kidder was born August 25, 1817, 
and pursued an academic course of instruc- 
tion. When twenty-three years old, she was 
joined in marriage with Asahel H. Kidder, on 
February i. 1841. They immediately located 
on the farm where Mrs. Kidder now lives, but 
the dwelling then occu])ied by them stood 
half a mile from the spot where ]\lrs. Kidder 
resides. In 1854, they moved to the present 
home, which was then a handsome, new resi- 
lience built l)y Mr. Kidder. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Kitlder h;i\e been born five children, three 
of whom are still li\ing. The following are 
the names of all: Rollin M.; Martha Eliza- 
beth; .\lbert .\.: Mary I-.; and Katie P. Rol- 
lin M. was born in 1841. He resides in h'air 
Haven, \'ermont, and has two daughters and 
one son. Martha Elizabeth is the v/ife of 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



177 



Bishop Mariam, in Fair Haven. They have 
one son and one daughter. Albert A. resides 
in West Rutland, Vermont. Mary L. was 
born July 19, 1850, and died at the early age 
of four years. Katie P. married Isaac Wood. 
She died, in 1887, aged twenty-nine years, 
having been married eight years, and having 
lost two children. Her infant son died soon 
after her untimely death. She was far from 
strong, and died of a broken heart, caused by 
the loss of her little ones. 

The farm upon which Mrs. Kidder resides 
is very valuable for general farming and dairy- 
ing. For many years, a fine, large dairy has 
been conducted upon this farm, and has been 
its principal industry. Mrs. Kidder's son-in- 
law, Isaac Wood, has had the care and man- 
agement of the place since the death of Mr. 
Kidder. He furnishes milk daily to many cit- 
izens of Fair Haven. As was her husband, 
the subject of this sketch is a faithful member 
of the Congregational church in Fair Haven. 




-REDERICK O. FOSTER, a gen- 
tleman who has an established reputation 
as a business man, is proprietor of a gen- 
eral merchandise store at Cuttingsville, 
Shrewsbury township, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, a community in which his family has 
been a prominent one for many years. He is 
a son of George W. and Leora (Adams) Fos- 
ter, and was born June 5, 1863. 

Mr. Foster traces his ancestry back to his 
great-grandfather, Abel Foster, who was born 
in Townsend, Mass., in 1752. There he mar- 



ried Mary Wood, who was born in Biilerica, 
Mass., in 1762; she was a daughter of Benja- 
min and Elizabeth (Swallow) Wood, — they 
also had a son, Benjamin Wood, Jr., who was 
born in 1756 and was killed at the battle of 
Bunker Hill. Abel Foster enlisted in the 
service at the age of twenty-one years as a 
corporal and served throughout the Revolu- 
tionary War, fighting at the battles of Bunker 
Hill and Saratoga. He told his children that 
he had shaken hands with Washington and 
heard him pray many times at Valley Forge. 
He was also with the army in Virginia. The 
pocket book which he carried, together with 
$30.00 in Continental money, and a cartridge 
case, have remained to this day in the posses- 
sion of his descendants. Mary, his faithful 
wife, had the most singular experience of 
knitting stockings for soldiers of both the 
Revolutionary and Civil wars, living to reach 
the wonderful age of one hundred years. After 
the war closed, Abel Foster returned home 
and took up the occupation of a farmer. His 
marriage, which occurred in 1783, was pro- 
lific of twelve children. In 1806 he removed 
to Vermont in an emigrant wagon, the jour- 
ney taking five days. He took up a tract of 
forest land and, after making a sufficient 
clearing, erected a small log house. He was 
one of the first farmers to settle in the locality 
and lived there until his death. One of his 
daughters is still living at the advanced age 
of ninety-four years, and was the recipient of 
a handsome gold spoon from the D. A. R., a 
souvenir given only to daughters of soldiers 
of the Revolutionary War. 



178 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Tyler Oilman Foster, the grandfather of 
Frederick O. Foster, was l)orn on the old 
homestead in Mount Holly, Rutland county, 
in 1807, and received his education there in 
the public schools. In 1830. he moved to 
Shrewshurv and learned the trade of a wheel- 
wright and carriage builder. He formed a 
])artnership with J. B. Story, and they attained 
a high reputation for the (|uality of their work. 
He was a captain in the militia and for many 
years served in the capacity of justice of the 
peace. He was a rcpresentati\'e from 1864 
to 1866. He was united in marriage with 
Dorinda C. Harvey, a daughter of John Har- 
vey, of Hopkinton, N. H.. and they reared 
six children, as follows: George W. ; 
Charles Harvey : Jennie ; Helen M. (Crow- 
ley) ; Francis A. (Cutler) ; and Adelaide E. 

George Wellington Foster was born in Cut- 
tingsville, in 1840. He was educated in the 
common schools and in Fort Edward Insti- 
tute. N. Y. In 1834 he was a clerk in Boston, 
in a ])ro\-ision store. He was a clerk for sev- 
eral }cars in A. S. Adam's store in his native 
village, where he married his employer's 
daughter. In 1862. he enlisted m the 14th 
Vermont Regiment ; having declined the lieu- 
tenancy of his company in favor of a friend, 
he was made a corporal. He was in the battle 
of Gettysburg, and after the battle aided in 
taking care of the wounded. On his return 
to Cuttingsville. he engaged in a mercantile 
business of his own in the "Old Brick Store," 
where he remained twenty-five years. In 
politics, he was a Republican, and represented 
the town in 1880. He was acting postmaster 



for twenty years. He was captain of a militia 
company, and while in office was presented 
with a sword. .Mr. Foster was an accom- 
])lishe(l man in many wavs. . His intellect was 
of a high order, he was musical, skilful witli 
his brush and [lencil, and had a natural talent 
for medicine, which made him invaluable in 
an emergency. He held numerous positions 
of trust, fulfilling the duties of all with un- 
swerving honesty of purpose and fidelity. His 
death was mourned b_\- every one with whom 
he had an acquaiiuance for he was one of the 
most highly esteemed men in tlic vicinity. 

Frederick O. Foster was born at Cuttings- 
ville, where he received his intellectual train- 
ing. After leaving school, he clerked in his 
father's store for some time, but subsequently 
took u]) railroad work. I)eing an operator and 
station agent on the Rutland Railroad. .-Vfter 
his father's death, he resigned his position 
and took charge of the store, of which he has 
since been proprietor. It is located in a large, 
two-story brick building, the first floor being 
used as a salesroom, and the basement and 
second floor as store rooms. He handles a 
comprehensive line of dry goods, groceries, 
drugs, jewelry, hats and caps, boots and shoes, 
rubber goods, notions, and hardware, in fact 
almost any article for which there is any de- 
mand in his section. The building was erected 
fifty-four years ago and it is the oldest store 
in town. 

Mr. Foster is a Republican in his political 
affiliations. He was united in matrimonial 
bonds with Edith Persons, who was born June 
20, 1863, and they are the happy parents of 




IIIKAM FRANKLIN NOVKS. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



181 




three children: Florence, aged nine years; 
Helen, aged seven years ; and George, aged 
six. 

■*-'-*■ 

I RAM FRANKLIN NO YES, whose 
portrait is shown on the opposite 
page, a prominent lumJjer dealer 
in Rutland. Vermont, is known to be one 
of the most enterprising business men in this 
section of the Green Mountain State. Mr. 
Noyes conducts an extensive retail lumber 
business at his yard, situated at Number 127, 
State street. In connection with this, our 
subject owns and operates two large saw 
mills, run by steam, — one in Mendon and the 
other in West Bridgewater. In close proxim- 
ity to and within easy access of the former, 
he owns 3,000 acres of timber land in Mendon 
and Chittenden ; and accessible to the latter 
mill, he has 400 acres in Sherburne. In these 
mills all kinds of lumber are manufactured to 
supply the retail trade in Rutland and vicinity. 
Hiram F. Noyes was born in the village 
of Chittenden, Rutland county, Vermont, on 
the sixth day of July, 1850, and is a son of 
Daniel, Jr., and Louisa (Baird) Noyes, and 
grandson of Daniel Noyes, Sr. Hiram F. 
Noyes was reared upon his father's farm, re- 
ceiving a very ordinary schooling, and remain- 
ing at home until he attained the age of twen- 
ty years. He then started out for himself and 
learned the carpenter's trade, following it for 
a period of five years, when he met with a 
severe accident that caused him to discon- 
tinue his work along that line. He then es- 



tablished a general merchandise store in the 
village of Chittenden, continuing in trade 
there for eighteen years. In connection with 
his store, Mr. Noyes was also postmaster, re- 
taining that position for fourteen years. He 
also established a wholesale lumber house in 
Chittenden, and handled spruce and hardwood 
in large quantities. He managed both his 
lumber business and his trade in general mer- 
chandise until he sold out the latter in 1893; 
in 1887, Mr. Noyes removed his lumber yard 
to Rutland, allhough he did not become a 
resident of that place until two years later, 
when he purchased his present home at Num- 
ber 2y. Baxter street. Bv his excellent busi- 
ness methods and splendid management his 
business has now increased to enormous pro- 
portions. 

Daniel Noyes, Sr., grandfather of Hiram 
F., was a native of Brandon, Vermont, where 
his whole life was spent in farming. He 
reared six sons and two daughters. The three 
members of the family still living are : Fred ; 
Joseph; and Franklin, all of Pittsford, Ver- 
mont. 

Daniel Noyes, Jr., the father of our sub- 
ject, was liorn in 181 1, and tiled in Chitten- 
den, in 1883. at the advanced age of seventy- 
two years. Like his father, he followed agri- 
cultural pursuits all his life, and was regarded 
as a progressive man of his day. He was 
joined in matrimony with Louisa Baird, also 
of Chittenden. Mrs. Noyes came of a family 
particularly noted for longevity; her father 
lived to be ninety-eight years old. Daniel 
Noyes and his wife were blessed with a fam- 



182 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ily of twelve children, four sons and eight 
daughters, of which family ten grew to noble 
manhood and womanhood. One of the sons, 
Daniel, left his home in A'ermont, in iS6o, and 
went to California by way of the Isthmus of 
Panama. He now has a family of thirteen 
children. For over thirty-eight years he has 
been carrying on a fur trade, with the Indians 
in the Xorthwest Territories, Canada. 

In 1S76, Hiram ¥. Xoyes was united in 
marriage with Katie Crawford, of Rutland, a 
daughter of George \\'. and Melinda (Bar- 
rett) Crawford. Her father was born in Swan- 
ton, Vermont, and is one of the oldest settlers 
in Rutland, where he was deputy sheriff for 
many years, and where he still resides ; he lost 
his wife in 1886. Mrs. Xoyes has one sister 
and two brothers. Our subject and his es- 
timable wife lost one infant son, and still have 
one daughter and two sons, as follows : jNIin- 
nie May, born August 26, 1879, a member of 
the graduating class of 1899 of Rutland High 
School, and now attending normal school at 
Oswego, N^. Y., is an attracti\-e young ladv 
and possesses much musical talent; Hiram 
Franklin, Jr,, born 2\lay 15, 1881, who lives at 
home, pursuing his .studies; and Earl, who 
was born May 30, 1894. 

In his political attachments, ^Mr. Noyes 
sides with the Republicans. He is now serv- 
ing his third term as alderman of the Sixth 
ward. He is a Thirty-second degree Alason, 
and has served in the order as junior warden. 
He joined the Otter Creek Lodge at the age 
of twenty-two years and is now a member of 
Center Lodge, No. 34, of Rutland. He also 



belongs to the B. P. O. E., the Knights of 
Pythias, and the I. O. O. F. Mrs. Xoyes is a 
member of the Congregational church and lib- 
erally supports that denomination. 

IMr. X'oyes is in every respect a man of 
force and influence. He has a fund of ex- 
perience to draw from that is of a superior 
order. His judgment and foresight have l)een 
l)rought to a keen edge from contact with 
the shrewdest kind of business men. A man 
of affairs, he takes a broad, liberal view 01 all 
things and in this bu.sy, jostling world, he has 
proved his capacity to live and thrive with the 
best. 



TT^HARLES STERNS. No man in Rut- 
I J| land county, \'ermont, occupies a more 

^ — ^ prominent place in business circles 
(and but few, if any, in the entire state of \'er- 
mont), than does Charles Sterns, a leading dry 
goods merchant of Rutland, \'t., who not only 
owns the controlling interest in the large store 
of Charles Sterns & Co., but has paying shares 
in numerous other stores in various localities. 
Mr. Sterns can truly be said to be the archi- 
tect of his own fortunes. From a modest and 
humble beginning, he has, by constant indus- 
try and untiring effort, worked his way up 
the ladder of success until he has reached an 
enviable position. The magnitude of his pres- 
ent business interests can only be left to the 
imagination. A careful perusal of the fol- 
lowing incidents will show how his success 
has been attained. 

Charles Sterns was born near Frankfort, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



183 



Germany, February 27, 1844. He is a son of 
Isaac and Bertlia (Rothschild) Sterns, also of 
German nativity. He is one of a family of 
three children, and had one brother and one 
sister; the latter died at the age of ten years. 
His only brother, David Sterns, died in Platts- 
burg, N. Y., at the age of thirty-eight years. 
He left a widow and one son, Charles, who is 
a competent salesman in his uncle's store in 
Rutland, — having complete charge of the 
carpet department. Charles Sterns, our sub- 
ject, was the recipient of a practical, common 
school education in his native country, and at 
the age of fourteen years, began to learn the 
baker's trade, — working in that capacity for 
four years in Germany. In 1862, when 
eighteen years of age, he crossed the ocean to 
"free America," going to Plattsburg, N. Y., 
where he sojourned for a time, with a cousin. 
Charles Sterns began his business career as 
a pack-peddler, — selling notions, dress goods, 
and linens. In two years, his trade had pros- 
pered to such an extent that he was enabled 
to buy a horse and covered wagon, and a lit- 
tle later, a team of horses. In this way he 
sold goods from Plattsburg to Watertown, 
N. Y., Ticonderoga, Saranac Lake, and 
Schroon Lake, through a beautiful and ro- 
mantic country, full of wild, picturesque 
scenery. Yet this proved to be an excellent 
field for peddlers, and Mr. Sterns' trade still 
increased. But he was not born to peddle 
goods all his life, and, in 1870, he opened his 
first store in Keyesville, N. Y., and began busi- 
ness under the firm name of Sterns & Rogers. 
For four years, their venture was most suc- 



cessful. Then Mr. Rogers was obliged to sell 
his interest to Mr. Sterns on account of ill 
health, and within a year he died of consump- 
tion, at Ogden, Utah, while on his way to 
California. The store in Keyesville is still 
prospering, and the firm name is Sterns & 
Winter. In 1884. Mr. Sterns came to Rut- 
land, and established his present business there 
under the firm name of Pyette & Sterns, at 
Number 31 Merchant's Row, where the con- 
cern is now conducted under the firm name 
of Charles Sterns & Company. Their mag- 
nificent store-building is twenty-six feet wide, 
with a depth of one hundred and fifty feet, 
and is two stories high; twelve women and 
men are employed as clerks in this establish- 
ment, which is finely stocked with a choice 
line, and pleasing variety, of dr}- goods, cloth- 
ing, notions, carpetings, etc. 

Mr. Sterns has been, and still is, inter- 
ested in several other stores besides those 
above mentioned ; one of these was operated 
at Ferrona, Clinton county, N. Y., in a very 
successful manner, for sixteen years, when the 
mines were closed. Another store in which 
Mr. Sterns has an interest, was formerly con- 
ducted at \\'hitehall, N. Y., but was subse- 
quently removed to Fair Haven, Vt., and did 
business under the firm name of E. L. Good- 
rich & Co., which company also had a store 
in Poultney, \'ermont. It may be appropri- 
ately mentioned here that the firm of Sterns 
& Winter are still enjoying a flourishing trade 
at Keyesville, where Mr. Sterns lived for 
twenty-two years, previous to 1884, when he 
moved to Rutland. Since then, he has been 



184 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



givinn^ his personal attention to his dry goods 
emporium there, and conducts one of the lead- 
ing stores in that prosperous city. He is also 
interested in the Ready Made Clothing Co., 
across the street from his establishment. In 
addition to all this, he was formerly engaged 
in real estate operations in the Adirondacks, 
at Saranac Lake and conducted a store at 
Lake Placid, for four years. The subject of 
this sketch is also one of the firm of Payette. 
Alendelsohn & Co.. who (jwn and operate both 
an ale brewery and cigar factory, in Platts- 



burg, New Vorl< 



hev also have a branch 



cigar-store in Barre, \'t., and a combination 
cash store at the same place, well stocked with 
dry goods, carpets, boots and shoes, crocker) 
and millinery. This store is forty feet wide, 
with a depth of one hundred feet, antl requires 
a force of twel\-e salesmen and clerks. 

On January 19, 1876, Mr. Sterns was joined 
in matrimony with Bertha Cain, who is a na- 
tive of London, England. She is a daughter 
of Jacob Cain, now a resident of Chicago, Illi- 
nois. To Mr. Sterns and his worthy and es- 
timable wife, ha\'e been born fi\e children. — 
foiu" daughters and one son. nanieh-: \'ir- 
ginia, nfiw an accomplished young lady; 
Leah; Belle; .\rtluu'; and Blanche, a child 
of nine years. The children are a con- 
stant delight to their fond parents; they are 
diligently attending school, and endea\oring 
to fit themselves for the "battle of life." All 
are fond of music, and some of them possess 
exceptional talent in that direction. Mr. 
Sterns and family live at Number 42 Pleasant 
street, where he located in his fine residence, 



in 1895. He is a Thirty-second degree Mason 
and is a member of a Brooklyn (N. Y.) lodge. 
He was a master Mason in Keyesville, and is 
still a member of the Adirondack lodge. He 
is also an Elk. and belongs to the Knights of 
Honor. In politics, he is independent, and 
votes for the best man. 

The parents of the subject of this sketch 
came to America in 1866, and settled in Platts- 
burg, N. Y.. where his mother died, in 1878. 
at the age of seventy-six years. His father 
died in Rutland, in 1886. at the home of 
Charles Sterns, aged eighty-seven years. The 
remains of this worthy couple rest in the 
Jewish cemetery in Plattsburg, New York. 
All things considered, but few men have made 
a better record in business and domestic life 
than Charles Sterns, the suliject of this sketch, 
who still has s])lendid prospects for the future. 




^\XK WESTON GARY is the 
genial and good natured jM'ojjrietor of one 
of the largest and finest wholesale and re- 
tail grocery stores in Rutland, \'t., and it 
affords us much pleasure to introduce him to 
our readers as a man who, although young 
in years, is ripe in experience and judgment. 
He deserves great credit for conducting so 
large a business in such an eminently success- 
ful manner. Mr. Gary was born in West- 
moreland county, N. H., in 1853. He was 
the recipient of a good common school educa- 
tion, but left school when only sixteen years 
old, and became a clerk in a general mer- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



185 



chandise store in Westmoreland, where he re- 
mained one year. In the meantime, while 
working in the store he also learned telegra- 
phy, and subsequently accepted a position at 
Ashburnham Junction, as conmiercial railroad 
operator, which position he retained about a 
year and a half. 

In 1 87 1, Mr. Gary went to Rutland, where 
for nine years he was telegraph operator for 
the Western Union Telegraph Company, do- 
ing both railroad and commercial work. 
Later he embarked in the grocery trade in 
partnership with Mr. Hoag, and for nine years 
continued thus under the firm name of Gary & 
Hoag, purchasing Mr. Hoag's interest at the 
close of that time, and has since then con- 
ducted the business alone. Mr. Gary removed 
his store from Center street to his present lo- 
cation at Number 12, Merchants' Row, in the 
spring of 1896. His store is a model one for 
the grocery business, and is one of the best 
kept concerns of the kind to be found in this 
part of Vermont. He carries a stock worth 
$10,000, containing a complete and excellent 
assortment of fine, choice groceries, for both 
the retail and the wholesale trade. Mr. Gary 
employs six clerks, including a lady cashier 
and bookkeeper, and constantly uses three 
delivery wagons. He enjoys the patronage of 
the wealthiest and most fastidious people in 
Rutland. 

Frank A\'eston Gary is a son of Stephen and 
Mary (Woodward) Gary, and a grandson of 
Britton and Lucy (Martin) Gary. Britton 
Gary was a native of New Hampshire, but, 
early in life, lived in Connecticut. He was 



joined in marriage with Lucy Martin, of Mas- 
sachusetts, and followed farming in New 
Hampshire, except for a short period in their 
early married life, during which they lived in 
New York. They traveled, with an ox team, 
to the vicinity of Buffalo, N. Y., but did not 
like it there, and returned home the same 
way. Britton Gary died in middle life, and 
was sur\-ived many years by his widow, who 
lived to be over seventy years old. They 
reared six children, four sons and two daueh- 
ters, — nearly all of whom went west. One 
son, Harris B. Gary, is a railroad employee at 
Winona, Minn., and is now an aged man. His 
parents lie buried in the family lot in West- 
moreland, New Hampshire. 

Stephen Gary, father of Frank Weston, 
was born in Westmoreland county, N. H., 
where he still resides, on October i, 1826. In 
1852, he was joined in marriage with Mary 
Woodward, a charming lady of Westmore- 
land. She was a daughter of Ezekiel and 
Lucy (Wilson) Woodward, highly respected 
and influential citizens of AV'estmoreland 
county. Only one son, Frank Weston, the 
subject of this sketch, blessed this union. 
Stephen Gary has been a farmer and a lum- 
berman, — buying large tracts of woodland 
and cutting the timber, which was manufac- 
tured into lumber, and sold. He also dealt 
in cattle, raising large numbers on these 
woodland tracts. The legacy left him by his 
parents was a small farm, with a mortgage 
upon it. Early in life, he followed the shoe 
and boot business, — crimping the boots to 
be sent out. He worked at that occupation 



186 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



until he was obliged to retun\ home with his 
small savings, and care for his aged parents, 
as he was next to the youngest son, and his 
older brothers had families of their own. 

August 22, 1876, Air. Gary was united in 
marriage with Carrie Willis, one of Rutland's 
fairest maidens. Mrs. Gary is a daughter of 
George Willis, who died in the fall of 1896, 
aged seventy-two years. Besides Mrs. Gary, 
he left one other daughter, Mrs. Orril K. 
Lyman, of Norwich, X'ermont. Mr. Willis 
also left a valuable estate, valued at fifty thou- 
sand dollars, of which the subject of this 
sketch was made administrator. In addition 
to his own business, he attends to the affairs 
of the estate, including rentals from about 
thirty tenements. Mr. and Mrs. (iary have 
lost two children, namely: George Willis, 
who died at the tender age of four years ; and 
Edward W., who died when two years old. 
These much loved little ones fell victims to 
that dread disease for which there is said to be 
no remedy, — membraneous croup. They were 
both buried in one grave. Mr. and Mrs. Gary 
still have two children living, namely: Marion, 
a young lady of sixteen years ; and George W., 
a bright lad, ten years old. 

Socially, the subject of this sketch is a 
Knight Templar ; in politics, he is known as 
a Republican, but takes no active part in polit- 
ical matters, always voting for the best man, 
in local affairs. Mr. and Mrs. Gary reside at 
Number 94, Grove street, where Mr. Gary 
bought a home and settled, in 1886. They are 
active members of the Congregational church 
of which Mr. Gary has served as treasurer and 



trustee, being chairman of the board. This 
gentleman is thorough and indefatigable in 
all liis undertakings. His sterling qualities 
have secured for him the respect and esteem 
of a large circle of friends and patrons, and 
have made bis name an honored one through- 
out the conmumitv. 



^OEL THOMAS NICHOLS, dealer in 
milk, butter, eggs, groceries, etc., has 
been a resident of Rutland, \ermont, 
for the past thirty-eight years. For a period of 
fifteen years he was engaged in railroading; he 
began as a fireman, was promoted to the po- 
sition of engineer; he still belongs to the Na- 
tional Association of Stationary Engineers. 
Mr. Nichols is a nati\'e of Rutland county, 
Vermont, and was born in the \illage of 
Danby, August 17, 1837. He is a son ^A 
Thomas and Hannah (Wait) Nichols and a 
grandson of James Nichols. 

Joel Thomas Nichols bad a good conunon 
school cilucatiiin, and at bis father's death, 
which occurred when he was fifteen 
years of age, he left the academy 
where he was studying, and went home 
to the farm, where he worked with 
his brother, James E.. for three _\ears. At the 
age of eighteen years, he started cnit for him- 
self, w.irking on farms and in stores, until 
he attained the age of twenty-four years. Jan- 
uary 6, 1862, Air. Nichols responded to our 
country's call for troops, and enlisted as a vol- 
unteer in Company D, 7th Reg., Vt. \^ol. In- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



187 



fantrv. He enlisted as sergeant, and rose 
from that rank to the position of first Heu- 
tenant. His regiment was sent to Ship Island, 
thence to New Orleans and, later, was en- 
gaged in the Mobile campaign ; he afterwards 
went to Texas, in the Gulf department, and 
was in the service till April, 1866, — the regi- 
ment to which he belonged being the last 
one mustered out of service. Mr. Nichols 
was in the hospital a short time, with malarial 
fever, and the rest of his four and one-third 
years, in service, he was on duty. During 
the Mobile campaign, he was doing engineer 
work, and was sergeant of the engineer corps, 
on detached duty. The regiment did not see 
much fighting, but had plenty of hard work, 
all in the malarial swamps. 

Mr. Nichols never drew any pension from 
the government until 1893, ^^'^^^ '"^o^^ S^^^ only 
seventeen dollars a month. He was on de- 
tached service much of the time, and on the 
border survey, and has been, and still is, a 
sufiferer from rheumatism. On November 21, 
1867, Mr. Nichols wedded Agnes \^d^ite, a 
charming young lady, of Rutland. Mrs. 
Nichols is a daughter of Alonzo \\'hite. now 
deceased. She bore her husband one son, 
George B., who, although a bright boy, of un- 
usual mental qualifications, was frail in body, 
and sickly. He passed from his earthly home 
at the age of fifteen years, leaving his devoted 
parents almost inconsolable. The subject of 
this sketch resides at Number 23, Church 
street, quite near his place of business, and has 
a pleasant and attractive home, in addition to 
which he enjoys a good patronage. 



James Nichols, grandfather of Joel Thomas, 
was a prosperous farmer in the town of Dan- 
by, where his whole life was spent. His fam- 
ily consisted of si.x sons and two daughters, 
all of whom grew to w'orthy manhood and 
womanhood and married ; all had families of 
their own, except two of the sons. All of 
these eight children went west, except Thom- 
as, father of the subject hereof, and Joel, who 
sleeps iti the cemetery at Montpelier, Ver- 
mont. George B., a son of Joel, is a wealthy 
and influential physician in Barre, Vt., w'hile 
Joel himself was a wealthy farmer. 

James Nichols died about the year 1841. 
His wife was a very large and fleshy woman, 
one of the largest not known in connection 
with exhibitions, — while Mr. Nichols was 
quite a small man. 

Thomas Nichols, father of Joel Thomas, was 
born in |uly, 1801, on the same farm where 
the latteT first saw the light of day, and died 
April 28, 1853, of apoplexy. Thomas and his 
wife rera.iined on the homestead farm until 
after th« death of James Nichols, and then 
purchased a farm for themselves where they 
spent the remainder of their lives. This farm 
was one of the best in the town of Danby, 
and contained two hundred and seventy-five 
acres. Mrs. Nichols was a widow for a long 
period, and attained the age of about eighty 
years. Her maiden name was Hannah Wait. 
She was born in Danby, Vermont, in 1806, her 
marriage occurring at the same village. She 
bore her husband six children, — three sons 
and three daughters, — namely: Eunice; Lo- 
vina ; James Edwin ; Nathaniel E. ; Hannah 



188 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Leonora ; and Joel Thomas. Eunice was the 
wife of William Palmer; she died in middle 
age but left no children. Lovina was twice 
married: her first husband was Alphonso Hil- 
liard, by whom she had two children ; after his 
death, she contracted a matrimonial alHancc 
with Henry Bartlctt, who died in Chardon, 
Ohio, and left her a widow for the second 
time. James Edwin resides on the old farm, 
and has two sons and one daughter. Nathan- 
iel E. is a mechanic in the village of Danby. 
Hannah Leonora is the wife of Albert Colvin, 
a farmer living next to James Edwin. Joel 
Tiiomas is the subject of this sketch. 

Mr. Nichols is independent, in politics, and 
is a member of no secret organization, and 
of no church. He is one who modestly bears 
tlie distinction of being purely a self-made 
man. 



>^^ /^ 1 LLIA^NI B. BUTLER, the super- 
Yyll/ intendeut <if tlie marble ([uarry of 

•^/^ J. B. Holtister at Pittsford, Ver- 
mont, formerly known as the 'AVheaton 
quarry," has filled that important position 
since May, 1888. He was born in Rutland, 
Vermont, December 2, 1852. He is a son of 
Samuel and ^lary (Colligan) Butler, grand- 
son of James D. and Rizpah (Morgan) But- 
ler, great-grandson of Anthony Butler, and 
great-great-grandson of James D. Butler. 

James D. Butler died at Oxford, Massachu- 
setts. His son, Anthony Butler, was born in 
Boston, October 18, 1760, and died at Oxford, 
Butler county, Ohio, in 1840, aged eighty 



years. He was a hatter by trade, and worked 
at his calling, in Massachusetts. Later he and 

his brother. James, estal)hshed a hat factory 
in Rutland. \'ermont, as early as 1784. James 
D. Butler, grandfather of William B., was 
born in Rutland, Vermont, July 25, 1795. He 
married Rizpah Morgan, a daughter of Sam- 
uel Morgan, and a native of Pittsford, Ver- 
mont. Eiglit children were born to them, all 
of whom readied maturity. Six of them were 
sons and two were daughters. One son, Wil- 
lard C. Butler, lives in \\'aterbury, W'ashing- 
ton county, Vermont. He was born in 1827. 
James D. Butler died February 1 1, 1874. His 
widow survived him until December, 1875. 
Thev were buried in the Pittsford cenieter\'. 

Samuel Butler, father of William B., was 
born in Pittsford, \'ermont, July 7, 1817. In 
1850, he married Mary Colligan, of Irish na- 
tivity. She was born in County Ros- 
common, Ireland, and when thirteen 
vears old. accomjianied her parents, Pat- 
rick and Aima Colligan, to Amer- 
ica. Pier father died in 1847, i" Rutland. Her 
motiier died in Pittsford, in February, 1880. 
They reared four children. Samuel Butler 
was a farmer. He settled on the old farm in 
Pittsford, where the mother of William B. still 
resides. This farm has been in the family for 
more than one hundred years. It was first 
purchased l)y Samuel ]\lorgan from Othniel 
Field. It was then new and unimproved. 
Four chiklren were born to Samuel and Mary 
Butler, namely: William B., the subject of 
these lines; Walter S., who is still at home on 
the old farm in Pittsford; Anna E., wife of 




DARIUS S. TAKKS. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



191 



a Mr. Butler, of Iowa; and Frederick, Avho 
died in 1879, then a youth of fourteen years. 

William B. Butler obtained only a common 
schooling. At the age of seventeen years, he 
began work in the marble quarries and marble 
mills. He then decided to fit himself for some- 
tliing better, and, accordingly, read law with 
Judge ]\Ianley. He was duly admitted to the 
Rutland county bar, September 23, 1883, and 
engaged in the practice of his chosen profes- 
sion, in West Rutland. He continued to prac- 
tice law until 1886, when he relinquished his 
profession to accept his present position in 
the marble business. 

\lr. Butler has complete charge of the 
quarry, of which he is superintendent. He is 
independent, in politics. He served two years 
as prosecuting attornej of the town grand 
jurors, and four years as justice of the peace 
within and for the county. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Butler 
never sought political honors, but has filled 
every position of trust assigned him with 
credit and distinction. He is a pleasant gen- 
tleman, and a valued member of his commu- 
nity. 



M 



ARIUS S. PARKS, a retired farmer 
residing in Wells, Vermont, whose 
portrait accompanies this biography, 
is the most extensive land owner in the town, 
and, perhaps, in Rutland county. He was born 
in the town of Wells, Rutland county, Decem- 
ber 28, 1820. He is a son of Joseph Park, and 
grandson of Elijah Park. These ancestors 



spelled their name Park, instead of Parks, — 
the form which has been adopted by the sub- 
ject hereof. 

Elijah Park was a native of Connecticut, 
and moved to the town of Wells, in 1787. Pie 
located on a farm adjoining the home of Dar- 
ius S. The farm then occupied by him is now 
owned l)y Enmiett Russell Pember. The 
house standing today was built by Darius S. 
Parks' grandfather, in 1792. Elijah Park was 
twice married. His marriage with Anna 
Smith resulted in four children. Their wed- 
ding occurred in Connecticut. ^Irs. Park 
died in 1793. His second union was con- 
tracted with Margaret Walker, of Gran- 
ville. She bore her husband eight chil- 
dren. Many of these went west. One son, 
Elijah, was an able farmer in the town of 
Wells. The grandfather of Darius S. was a 
prominent man in that section of the coun- 
try. He was tax collector, from 1790 to 1799. 
He taught school for more than twenty terms. 
He was with General Gage in the capture of 
Ticonderoga. He removed to Granville, New 
York, in 181 1, and there his death took place 
in 1 82 1, aged sixty-three years. 

Joseph Park, father of the subject hereof, 
was born near Canterbury, Connecticut, in 
May, 1784. He died July 4, 1868. He held 
all the local offices, and represented the town 
of ^^'ells in the State Legislature in 1834, 
1835, and 1836. He served as selectman 
longer than any other resident of that locality. 
He was overseer of the poor, and had the dis- 
tinction of being the only town surveyor, 
which position he held until his death, at a 



192 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ripe old ag'e. Since then, the same office 
lias been liold In- tlic sul)ject of this sketcli. 

Mr. I'arks is one of tliree chilchxn. nanicl\ : 
Cordeha (wife of Sylvester Clark), who died 
in 1895, aged seventy-nine years; Darius S., 
the subject of these lines; and Martin, who 
died May 9, 1889, on the old homestead farm, 
now the jiroperty of Darius S. Parks. The 
mother of Darins S. died in 1848. at^ed fifty- 
one }'cars. His fatlicr was again married. 
This second iniion was contracted with 
Phoebe \\'ilcox, a sister of his first wife. In 
1862, Joseph Parks lost his second wife, who 
died aged sixty-two years. 

The suliject hereof was joined in marriage, 
Septembers, 1841, with Paulina Alitcliell. In 
1842, the young folk settled on the farm wlicrc 
Mr. Parks still remains. This farm is now the 
property of their daughter, Lydia, wife of 
Judson Cone. In 1885, .Mr. Parks was de- 
prived of his beloved comjianion, who died 
when sixty-one years old. They had l(ist two 
children, Ennna, aged three years, and Alta, 
aged ten years. Four children are still living. 
namely: .Mvah; Lydia; Frank, and May. 

.\lvah is a jjrosperous farmer, residing on 
one of his father's large farms. He has a wife 
and fcjur sons, as follows: Leon, aged six- 
teen; Dwight; Edgar; and Fred, aged three 
years. Lydia was born in 1853. and her mar- 
riage with Judson Cone was consummated in 
1875. They have three children, namely: 
Arthur, of Pawlet; May, who is the wife of 
Charles H. Barber, and lives in Pawlet village ; 
and Alta, a child of eleven- years, 
weighing one hundred and one potinds. Frank 



is al.so a farmer, arid resides upon another of 
his father's line farms. He has a wife, and 
tlu'\- h;i\e one son and two daughters, viz.: 
I'.nnna, elcxen years old; litta : and Harry, 
four years old. 

Mr. Parks inherited the farm which is still 
his home. It contains two hundred and 
twelve acres, and has been transferred by him 
to his daughter Lydia. He has the title to 
about fifteen hundred acres of Land in Rut- 
land cdiuitx'. He is wonderful! V well pre- 
served for his advanced years, and has a most 
remarkable memory. He is well cared for by 
his loving children and grandchildren, to 
whom he is devotedly attached. 




OMER L. HOAG. Among the en- 
terprising, successful business men of 
Rutland. \'t., we are loath to omit 
a name so important in mercantile circles as 
Homer L. Hoag. the subject of this sketch. 
IMr. Hoag was born in Grand Isle, Yl.. June 
25, 1854, and received a good common 
schooling: he was reared on a farm. When 
Homer attained the age of nineteen years, he 
left the farm and became a salesman in the 
village of Fair Haven, ^'t., where he contin- 
ued for four years, subsequently locating in 
Rutland. 

This change of location was made in 1877, 
when Mr. Hoag entered the employ of E. D. 
Keyes & Co., as bookkeeper. He continued 
to work in that capacity until 1881, when he 
embarked in the grocery business in com- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



193 



pany with F. W. Gary, under the firm name of 
Gary & Hoag. They conducted a successful 
business for ten years, when Mr. Hoag sold 
his interest to Mr. Gary. 

Mr. Hoag then bought the bakery of 
Thomas J. Lyon, purchasing not only the bus- 
iness, but also the entire block in which it is 
conducted. Mr. Hoag is also a member of the 
firm of Thomson & Hoag in the cold storage 
1:)usiness. They have an establishment sixty 
In- one hundred feet in dimension, and four 
stories high (besides the otflce, etc.) The 
engine is situated outside, and the cold stor- 
age is a grand success. The bakery business is 
both wholesale and retail, — principally whole- 
sale, — as the company runs but two wagons, 
while three traxxling salesmen are constantly 
employed for the wholesale trade. 

Mr. Hoag resides at his pleasant home at 
Number 20, Madison street, which he built 
in 1886. June 19, 1878, his life and fortunes 
were linked with those of Frances A. Farmer, 
an attractive young lady, of Fair Haven, Ver- 
mont. Mrs. Hoag is a daughter of Henry W. 
and Sarah (Angevine) Farmer. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Hoag have been born the following 
three children : Sarah Elvira, a young lady, 
still at home, attending school; Robert 
W'yman, a lad of fourteen years; and Frances 
May, a bright little miss of six years. Homer 
I.. Hoag is a son of Wyman C. and Elvira 
(Vantine) Hoag, a grandson of Seth and 
Sarah (Chamberlain) Hoag, and a great- 
grandson of Daniel and (Mosher) 

Hoag. 

Daniel Hoag was one of the first settlers in 



Grand Isle, Vermont, whither he came from 
the town of Seven Partners, Dutchess county, 
N. Y., about 1790, bringing his wife and three 
eldest children with him. Their family in- 
creased in size until fourteen children were 
born to them, — seven sons and seven daugh- 
ters ; eleven of these were born in Grand Isle. 
The first death in the family was that of 
Stephen, who died, unmarried, at the age of 
twenty-six years. Ail the others married and 
reared families, but not large in number. 

Daniel Hoag was born in 1761, and died in 
1809, leaving his widow, aged forty-one years, 
in fair circumstances, but with an unusually 
large family to rear. Mrs. Hoag, whose 
maiden name was Mosher, was the grand- 
daughter of Sir Hugh Mosher, of Manchester, 
England, who \^^as well known at that time 
as a manufacturer of fabrics, by which he ac- 
cumulated an estate valued at fifteen million 
dollars. Mrs. Hoag was born in 1768, and 
died in 1855, at the advanced age of eighty- 
seven years. Although comparatively young 
when her husband died, she remained faithful 
to his memory, and never married again. Her 
first child, a daughter, was born before her 
seventeenth birthday. 

Seth Hoag, paternal grandfather of Homer 
L., was born in April, 1798. He wedded 
Sarah Chamberlain, of Grand Isle, Vermont. 
Six children blessed this union, namely: 
Eunice, who died a maiden of twenty-five 
years; Stephen, who now resides on the old 
homestead farm, aged seventy-five years; 
Julia Ann, wife of Seth Gordon; Wyman C. ; 
Homer L. ; Cynthia, and Abner Seth. Mr. and 



194 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Mrs. Gordon are both deceased, leaving two 
daughters. W'vnian C is the fatiier of Homer 
L. Cyntiiia is tiie wife of Ariel Center, of 
Grand Isle. Ahner Scth died in infancy. Seth 
Hoag and his wife were Quakers, but there 
are no Quakers in the Hoag family now. Pie 
died, in 1887, at the advanced age of eighty- 
seven years, and was preceded to the grave 
by his wife, who died in 1880, aged eighty- 
two 3'ears. They sleep in the Quaker burial 
grounds. 

\\'yman C. Hoag was born hi Grand Isle, 
Vt., March 14, 1830. He married Elvira Van- 
tine, of Clinton county, Xew York. Mrs. 
Hoag was born July 7, 1835, and was united 
with Wyman C. Hoag on February 9, 1853. 
After marriage, the young folk settled down 
to housekeeping, in Grand Isle, where they 
spent the greater part of their lives. In 1887, 
they removed to Rutland, Vermont. January 
30, 1893, at Clarendon, Vt., the beloved 
father crossed the river of death into the light 
beyond. He is still sur\-i\-ed by his widow, 
who resides in Rutland with Homer L., who 
was her first born. Two other children 
blessed their home, namely: Charles S., of 
Rutland, who is a commercial traveler for the 
subject hereof, and has a wife and tiu-ce chil- 
dren; and Jessie May, the wife of (j. W. Pratt, 
— both residents of Rutland. \'ermont. These 
children had a good common school training", 
and were reared on the old homestead farm. 

In his political affiliations, Mr. Hoag is a 
stanch Republican, but has escaped office. Pie 
is a valued nieuil)cr of the Congregational 
church, and is one of the iirudential connnit- 



tee, being clerk of the board. He is also a 
member of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Hoag 
shows iiis aggressive and energetic nature by 
the manner in which he has surmounted all 
obstacles, and risen to his present position 
at the head of a flourishing establishment. Pie 
is master of the details of the business which 
he has in charge, and personally superintends 
all the dei)artments of the factory, which he 
conducts with consunnnate skill. 




^ RAN'CIS H. HOADLEY, a well- 
known manufacturer of snow-shovels, 
mop sticks, ice picks, etc., resides in W'al- 
lingford, Rutland county. \'ermont. The first 
of the Hoadley family who came to America 
were two brothers. They emigrated from 
England, settling in Massachusetts. The 
branch of the family from which the subject 
of this sketch is descended located, later, in 
Rhoilc Islantl, with the Roger \\'illiams col- 
on)-. Subsequent members of the family set- 
tled first at Branford, Conn., and, afterward, 
at New Haven, Connecticut. 

Alvin Hoadley, grandfather of Francis H.. 
was born in Connecticut, in 1783. Pie was 
educated in the public schools, but his edu- 
cation was limited. He became a very good 
business man, however, notwithstanding this 
great disadvantage. Removing to Tinmoutli, 
^'ernlont, lie purchased three hundred and 
fifty acres of farm laud. He devoted his time 
to stock raising, and was (piitc successful in 
that birsiness. The Hoadley teams, raised by 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



195 



liini, were justly celebrated. He was a Whig, 
politically, but never sought office. 

Alvin Hoadley was twice married. His son 
Harvey, father of Francis H., was the child 
of his first marriage. Harvey Hoadley was 
born in Branford, Connecticut, in 1807. When 
quite young he accompanied his parents to 
Vermont. He was mentally trained in the 
public schools of this state. 

After learning the blacksmith trade he went 
into business for himself, at Middletown 
Springs, Vt., and pursued his chosen occupa- 
tion until he was forty-five years old. He 
then purchased a farm of one hundred acres, 
but continued to live in the village. He fol- 
lowed, thereafter, the double occupation of 
farming and blacksmithing. In 1833 he mar- 
ried Ann Jennette Gray, a daughter of Harry 
Gray. They reared five sons, as follows : Alvin 
G., born in 1836; \\'illiam H., born in 1839; 
•Francis FL. the subject of this sketch; Justus 
P., born in 3855 ; and Joseph P., born in 1856. 
The three eldest sons became blacksmiths, as 
did also the youngest one. 

Justus P. graduated from a noted business 
college. He is now manager of the New 
England Fire Insurance Company. Joseph 
P. became a skilled and clever mechanic. He, 
too, learned the blacksmith trade by working 
under the subject hereof. He invented and 
built a patent well-boring machine, and is now 
a government contractor, at Esse.x Junction, 
Vermont. The father of Francis H. was an 
active member of the M. E. church, and a 
class leader, for many years. In politics, he 
was first a Whig and later a Republican, but 



would ne\'er accept office. His death oc- 
curred in 1887. 

Francis H. Hoadley was born in the village 
of Middletown Springs, Vermont, in 1847, 
and was schooled at the same place. July 
19, 1862, when fifteen years old, he enlisted 
in the 10th Regiment, Vermont Vol. Infan- 
try. He was one of the youngest boys in the 
service. The regiment left Brattleboro, Ver- 
mont, September 6, 1862. en route to Wash- 
ington, District of Columbia, where they en- 
camped on Arlington Heights. Mr. Floadley 
participated in many important battles, thirty- 
five in all, including Gettysburg, the battle 
of the Wilderness, etc. He was twice disabled 
by gunshot wounds, but served the entire 
three years. He saw some of the fiercest fight- 
ing of the war, and his own career was partic- 
ularly honorable, considering his extreme 
youthfulness. When mustered out of serv- 
ice, Mr. Hoadley returned to his native vil- 
lage, and learned the trade of a blacksmith 
and carriage builder. 

He remained there until 1867, and then 
went to Saratoga, New York. In the latter 
part of 1868, he went into business for him- 
self at \Vallingford, Vermont. He prospered 
from the first, and was soon obliged to em- 
ploy three hands. He followed general smith- 
ing and carriage making, until 1892. In 1883, 
he commenced to manufacture snow shovels, 
patent mop sticks, ice picks, etc., in partner- 
ship with A. Q. Adams. Three years later 
Mr. Hoadley purchased his partner's interest, 
and has since carried on the same lousiness 
alone. 



196 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Besides employinj^ many men in his large 
factory, Mr. lloadley has a numher of men on 
tlie road. He also travels himself, and solic- 
its orders from laroc joljbcrs. Tlie outi)Ul 
of the factory, which the subject hereijf Ijuilt 
to accommodate his new business, is five thou- 
sand dozen per year. Mr. Hoadley is also 
a stockholder in various other concerns, and 
is a local representative of the Xorthwestern 
MiUnal Life Insurance Ctnnpany, of Milwau- 
kee. He built a handsome residence for him- 
self, some time ago. He was joined in mar- 
riage with Philenda Taylor, a daughter of 
John Taylor, of Middletown. Mrs. Hoadley 
was born in ]H^o. They ha\e no children of 
their own, but have one adopted son, John. 

Mr. ilo.idley was at one time captain of 
Conipanv I, 3rd Reg., National Guards of 
Vermont. He is a member and past com- 
mander of Fletcher Post. No. 5, G. A. R. He 
is also a Mason of high degree, being a mem- 
ber of Chipman Lodge, No. ^2. F. & A. RL, 
of Killington Gommandery, No. 6, Ivnights 
Templar, of Rutland, and of ( )riental Temi)lc, 
A. .A. O. N. Mvstic Shrine, Trov, New York. 




^ RANIv F. LINCOLN, who is widely 
known as one of the greatest lumbering 
men of Rutland county, is general man- 
ager of the Lincoln Mill Gompany. He re- 
sides at Tinmouth. town of Tinmouth, Rut- 
land county, where the largest mill of that 
company is located. 

Mr. Lincoln was born November 24, 1854, 



and comes of an old Vermont family of dis- 
tinguished connections, being descended from 
the same ancestors as was Abraham Lincoln, 
our martyred i)resident. He received his 
early mental training in the pulilic schools of 
Ira, \'t., his native town, and during his 
youthful days worked on the farm of his 
father, who was a well-known citizen of that 
comnumity. At the age of twenty years, he 
took u\) niilling and worked for some time 
under Mr. Gollins, of Ira, and u])on that gen- 
tleman's death, purchased the mill from his 
estate. It was an old water mill, but the sub- 
ject hereof added steam, making it a combina- 
tion of steam and water, besides instituting 
other important imitrovements. In addition 
to this, he has a grist and cider mill at Ira, 
and was the tirst man there to use the im- 
proved cider press. He has been more than 
ordinarily successful in the cider business, em- 
ploying eight men during the season ; he pur- 
chased this mill in 1H74. In 1892, he bought 
considerable timber land in Tinmouth, tak- 
ing in G. W. Lincoln as a jjartner. The lat- 
ter at once assumed charge of Mr. Lincoln's 
mill, at Ira, and he built a steam mill in Tin- 
mouth, which is complete and modern in 
every ])articular, and devoted to the manu- 
facture of all kinds of lumber. It is operated 
in the most approved fashion, and is equipped 
throughout with modern devices and labor 
saving contrivances, many of which resulted 
from Mr. Lincoln's own ingenuity. He has 
enlarged the building from time to time, and it 
now covers a broad area. The company man- 
ufactures all kinds of building material, lum- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



197 



ber to a length of forty-eight feet, of both 
hard and soft woods, shingles, flooring, and 
finishings. It does custom work to a large ex- 
tent, and finds a market for its product, in 
Rutland and vicinity. The mill is a fifty-six- 
circular, and in a wing attached to the main 
building is a large engine room, in which 
there is a fifty-horse power engine, and a 
boiler of sixty horse power; the fuel used is 
waste material from the mill. The company 
can turn out fifteen thousand feet of lumber 
per day, and twenty thousand shingles. The 
mill is in operation the year round, and em- 
ploys a force of fifteen men. The subject 
of this sketch is a thorough business man in 
every particular, and enjoys the respect and 
good will of the community, to a marked de- 
gree. He resided in \\'est Rutland until 
1897, when he removed to Tinmouth, and 
there erected a home, in order to be near his 
work. 

Mr. Lincoln was united in marriage with 
Mary McNaughton, a daughter of Milton Mc- 
Naughton, who comes of an old Scotch fam- 
ily. She was born in Tinmouth, Vt., being 
educated at Poultney. She also took a course 
in the Troy Conference Academy, after which 
she engaged as a teacher for a number of 
years. They are the parents of one child, 
namely: Nettie, w^ho was born April 3, 1899. 
In political affiliations, Mr. Lincoln is a Re- 
publican, but has always declined to hold 
ofBce. Religiously, he is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, he 
is a member of Hiram Lodge, No. loi, F. & 
A. M. ; and is a Thirty-second degree Mason. 



He belongs, also, to Killington Lodge, I. O. 
O. F., Otter Creek Encampment, I. O. O. F. ; 
Canton Lodge, No. 6, Rutland, and to the 
Knights of Pythias, of which he is past chan- 
cellor, and member of the grand lodge. 




RS. MARY CHENEY RUGGLES, 
the esteemed subject of this sketch, 
is the widow of the late Gersham 
Chenev Ruggles, of Rutland, Vermont, where 
he was a prominent and wealthy man of busi- 
ness. He was a member of the firm of Curtis 
& Ruggles, furniture dealers, for many years, 
on Merchant's Row, and was, subsequently, 
a manufacturer of furniture. The best part of 
the citv of Rutland is built on land which was 
his farm, and from the sale of this land, he 
derived a great deal of his wealth. The rail- 
road ran directly through it and the station 
was built, upon it. Merchant's Row was also 
a part of it. This valuable tract of land was 
formerly owned by the father of Gersham 
Ruggles, but, upon the death of the former, 
the latter purchased the interests of the other 
heirs, and became the sole owner. Mr. Ruggles 
was a most public spirited man, and used his 
vast wealth freely to aid others, both individ- 
uallv, and as to enterprises, public and private. 
He was greatly interested in educational mat- 
ters, and was an active member of the school 
board of the village, and of the school com- 
mittee of the city. 

Mrs. Mary Cheney Ruggles was born in 
Dover, New Hampshire, June 9, 1815. She 



198 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



is a daughter of Moses and Patty (Pren- 
tice) Neal. Moses Neal was an ekxiuent and 
able lawyer of Dover. X. il., and served as 
clerk in the House of Representatives, at Con- 
cord, lie was joined in marriage with Patty 
Prentice, an accomplished young lady of 
Derry, New Hampshire. Afrs. Neal was a 
daughter of "squire" John Prentice. Alay 27, 
1836, the subject of this sketch was united 
in marriage with Gersham Cheney Ruggles, — 
that ceremony being performed in Rutland. 
This most happy union resulted in the birth 
of six children, namely: John Lea\-itt, a 
bookbinder, of Rutland : Moses Neal, a pas- 
senger conductor on tlie C, B. & Q. R. R., 
in Chicago, who died August 14, 1899; 
George Henry, who died in infancy: Julia 
Bes.sonnette, wife of ^^■. F. Parker, of Fair 
Haven, where he is a jeweler; Sarah Prentice, 
widow of Dr. H. H. Pierce, residing at the 
home of Mrs. Ruggles, in Rutland ; and Clar- 
issa Jane, still at home. The beloved father 
of these children passed away to his final rest, 
January 29, 1885, aged nearly seventy-five 
years, his birth having occurred in Rutland, 
February 3, 18 10. 

This family is of English origin, and its 
American mendicrs have resided in Rutland 
over one hundred years. The first of the fam- 
ily to take passage for .\merica was John 
Ruggles, who, when only ten years of age, was 
brought to Boston, Mass., by Philip Eliot 
and his wife, on the ship "Hopewell," which 
sailed from London, England, in 1^)35. Two 
years later, the father of John, whose name 
was Thomas, also came across the ocean, with 



his wife and younger children, — ^John being 
the eldest. Thomas Ruggles settled in Rox- 
bury, Mass., in 1637. 

John Ruggles was joined in marriage with 
Abigail Crafts, by whom he had several chil- 
dren, among them John Ruggles, Jr., who 
was born at Roxbury, Mass., January 22, 
1654. He was twice married. His first wife 
was Martha De\-otion, and his second wife 
was Hannah Devotion. This second mar- 
riage was consummated May i, 1679, and re- 
sulted in the birth of a son, Edward. 

Edward Ruggles was born at Roxbury, 
Mass., October 2, 1691, and wedded Hannah 
Crafts, June 24, 1716. They reared six chil- 
dren of whom Edward. Jr., was the fourth. 
Edward Ruggles. Jr.. was born in Roxbury, 
Mass., June 22, 1724, and settled in Pomfret, 
Connecticut. Eight children were born to him 
and his wife, of whom the third was Samuel, 
the next in line. 

Sanuiel Ruggles, a soldier in the \\'ar of 
the RexTiIution, was born February 25, 175 1, 
and married Lucy Robinson, September 17, 
1772. Two sons blessed this union, namely: 
Ebenezer, born December 17, 1773, and de- 
ceased June 22. 1823 : and John, who was born 
I''el)ruar_\' 3, 1776. and died February 19, 1831. 

John Ruggles was thrice married. His first 
wife was Polly Goukl. whom he wedded Jan- 
uary 17, 1800, and who bore him four chil- 
dren, namely: Afary: Ai Fitch: Jane 
Augusta, and John Gould. After the death 
of his first wife, John Ruggles was joined in 
matrimony with Eunice Kingsley; the wetl- 
ding took place in December, 1807. Eunice 




ASA J. ROGERS. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



201 



was a daughter of Phineas Kingsley, of Rut- 
land, — a Revolutionary soldier, — and bore her 
husband the following children : Julia Spar- 
row, Gersham Cheney, Henry Bond, arid 
George Fitch. The third marriage of John 
Ruggles was contracted December 30, 1821, 
with Sally Beaman. Three children were 
born of the third union, namely : Edmund 
Ingalls; Mary Jane; and Sarah Beaman. 

The mother of the suliject of this sketch 
belonged to another old and respected family, 
one member of which, Phineas Ivingsley, was, 
as before mentioned, a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary War. Mrs. Ruggles resides in a pleas- 
ant home at Number 16, Madison street, 
which was built Ijy her, in 1888. During the 
life of Mr. Ruggles, they occupied a home on 
tlie corner of Evelyn, Freight, and West 
streets, where the death of her huslsand oc- 
curred. The site of their former home is now 
occupied by prominent business houses. 




SA J. ROGERS, a retired citizen, resid- 
nig in the southern part of Poultney, 
Vermont, has valuable slate quar- 
ries on his one hundred and sixty-acre farm, 
which he leases out. Mr. Rogers had but a 
common schooling. When sixteen or seven- 
teen years old, he was employed in teaming, 
by H. Stanley & Co. He drove the same 
four-horse team for three years, receiving 
from $150 to $160 per year. Of this, one hun- 
dred dollars was given to his father, each 
year, until the subject hereof attained his 



majority. In 185 1, he began to learn the car- 
penter's trade. Being naturally handy with 
tools, he received wages while serving" his ap- 
prenticcshii). and soon Ijecame a skilled 
workman. 

July 8, 1 84 1, he v,'as joined in marriage with 
Louisa Horton, who was born in Mount 
Holly, Vermont, in 1820. She is a daughter of 
Asa and Susan (Breed) Horton. Bunker Hill 
Monument stands on Breed's Hill, which was 
so named from some of Mrs. Rogers" ances- 
tors. Her parents reared ten children. Mr. 
and Mrs. Rogers are the parents of six chil- 
dren, namely: Adelia Ann: Ophelia S. ; 
Louisa J.: Amos; Hattie : and Charles E. 

Adelia Ann was born June 2, 1842. She is 
the wife of Don Barker, in the village of 
Poultney. Three of her five children are still 
living. Ophelia S. was born May 3, 1844. 
She married Erwin Hyde, of Middletown, 
Vermont, and died in Connecticut, June 15, 
1899. She left two daughters, and had pre- 
viously lost two sons. The death of Mrs. 
Hyde is the only death which has occurred 
in the family of Asa J. Rogers for fifty-eight 
vears. Louisa J. is the wife of William Rus- 
sell, a farmer in North Granville. She has 
five children. Amos was born August 31, 
1848. Ten of his thirteen children are still 
living, five sons and five daughters. Hattie 
is the wife of Heiu-y Williams, of Adrian, 
Michigan. She was born August 31, 1850. 
Charles E. was born December 14, 1856. He 
is a farmer and has tiiree children. 

The subject hereof and his worthy wife have 
lived in their present home for the last twenty- 



202 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



seven years. Mr. Rogers has not engaged in 
farming, but leases his farm to (|uarrvmen. 
For many years he worked as a cari)enter, 1)ut 
is now retired from active Ial)i)r. lie was a 
Metlio(hst. for tiflcen years, and an of^cer 
in tliat churcli. Twenty-five years ago. he 
changed lii.s views on tlie suljject of religion, 
and joined the Christian .\(lvent church. He 
was made a deacon and has hcen a firm ad- 
vocate of that faith, besides being a most lib- 
eral supporter of the church. He is a Repub- 
lican, in politics. ;uid served as .selectman two 
years. He was elected justice of the peace, 
btit did not qualify. He also .served as road 
master, and district treasurer of the school 
fund, for a numljer of vears. 

Asa J. Rogers was born in ]\Iount Holly, 
\'ermont, .\pril j^, 1S20. He is a son of 
Stephen and Anna ( Fjnerson ) Rogers, and a 
grandson of Stephen .and Lydia (r.a])ham) 
Rogers. 

The grandfather of .\sa J. l-iogers was a 
prosjierous farmer in D.anbv, Vermont. His 
marriage with I>ydia Lapliam resulted in the 
birth of ten children. Nine grew up. married, 
and had families. Their names are: Joseph; 
Aaron: John: Stephen. Jr., father of Asa J.; 
Sarah: i^uth: Lydia; Elizabeth: and Sylvia. 
The father of these children died in Danby, 
March 17, 1826, and his widow died in De- 
cember, 183 1. 

Stephen Rogers, Jr.. father of the subject 
hereof, was born in Danby, \'t., November 9. 
1784. His wife, who was .\nna Emerson, be- 
fore her marriage, was Ijorn in Henniker, N. 
H., July 9, 1784. They removed from Danby 



to Mt. Holly about the year 1806, and lived 
there several years. In 18.^7, they moved to 
Ciranville, Xew ^'ork, where they remained 
four years. In 1 83 1 , they located in Poultney, 
\'t.. and were accompanied b_\- their ten chil- 
dren, \iz. : Lydia; Oliver: .\aron ; Charles: 
.Sanniel : John S. : Asa J.; David L. ; Phoebe 
L. : and .\nios E. Lydia was born in 1808, 
and m.arried George Webster. Oliver was 
burn in 1809. He was a farmer, and died from 
small[)0-\. in 1832. He left two children. 
.Aaron was born in 181 i. and died in liatavia, 
Xew York, when nearly eighty years of age. 
Charles was born in 1813. and died in Gen- 
esee county. Michigan, in 1879. Samuel w'as 
born in 1815. and died in Granville, New 
York. None of his family is now living. John 
S. was born in 1817, and is a tiller of the soil, 
in \\']iitcli;ill. Xew Ndrk. l)a\id L. was born 
in 1822. He died in Tecumst^h, .Michigan, in 
1897. His wife and two daughters survive 
him. Phoebe L. died in infancv. Amos E., if 
li\ing, is, ])robabl\-, a resident of California. 
He left Bostt)n in 1848 or 1849 on board the 
first vessel which went from that place to Cal- 
ifornia, b\' way of Caj^e Horn. After a voy- 
age of se\en or eight months, its destination 
was reacheil. Amos E. Rogers became a man 
of prominence in the far West. He was In- 
dian Agent for the Go\'ernment, for many 
}-ears. .\fter his marriage, he moved to Ore- 
gon, and has not l)een heard from, for a long 
period. 

Stei^heu Rogers. Jr.. died .\ugust 22. 1867. 
He had ]ireviously lost his wife, who died 
November 1, 1841. Both were highly re- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



203 



spected citizens of tlie community in which 
they H\ed. 

A portrait of .Asa J. Rogers accompanies 
this sketcli. lieing' presentee! on a preceiHng 
page, in proximity to this. 



)p(/ tial and 
^^ Howe Scr 



LLIAM CRONAN, a contiden- 
trusted employee of the 
,ve ^cale Company, with whom 
he has been engaged for nearly half a centur;, . 
is a substantial and highly respected citizen 
of Rutland, Vermont. Mr. Cronan is a kind 
and genial gentleman, both in social life and 
as a business man, and it is needless to say 
merits the confidence of his employers. Wil- 
liam Cronan was born in LUirlington, Vt., 
September 12, 1838, and is a son of Joseph 
and Margaret (Burns) Cronan, — both of Irish 
nativity. 

Joseph Cronan was born in Tipperary, Ire- 
land, in the year 1809. In 1836, he came, 
with his family, to America, taking passage 
on board a sailing \-essel. After a voyage of 
eleven weeks, they reached Quebec, where 
they were detaiiled in cjuarantine. During the 
voyage, and before being released from quar- 
antine, more than six hundred lives were lost 
through pestilence on board the vessel. Prev- 
ious to embarking for America, Joseph Cro- 
nan was united in marriage with Margaret 
Burns, and they brought three children across 
the ocean with them. However, one child 
died and was buried in Quebec. 

Joseph Cronan was a laborer and a gar- 



dener, and had limited means. But by thrift 
and economy, he managed to support his lit- 
tle family in Burlington, Vermont, wdiere he 
had settled, and later in Brandon, Vermont. 
About three years previous to his death, which 
occurred in 1892, he removed to Rutland, and 
was survived by his widow until 1894, when 
she died at the very advanced age of ninety- 
four years. Up to her last illness; she was 
active in both bod\- and mind. Their familv 
consisted of one son and two daughters : 
Mary; William, and Nora. Mary is the wife of 
P. Jones, residing in Elgin, 111., whither they 
removed in 1857. They have a family of sev- 
eral sons. \\'illiam is the sul^ject of this 
sketch. Nora is the widow of P. Whalen. 
She resides in Brandon, \'t., and has one 
daughter living. Mr. Whalen was a soldier in 
the Civil War, and died about the year 1892. 
William Cronan received only a common 
schooling, and at the early age of thirteen 
years, he began his career as chore boy. Six 
years later, in 1857, he entered the employ of 
the Howe Scale Company, working first at the 
very bottom, in the machine shop, and earn- 
ing low wages. But industry and persever- 
ance bring their reward, and from time to 
time Mr. Cronan has been promoted. He is 
inspector of scales for that great plant, with 
whose interests he has been identified for 
more than forty-two years. Mr. Cronan is an 
expert in putting out and selling scales 
throughout the United States, except along 
the Pacific coast. He has traveled extensively 
in the service of the company in nearly all 
the southern and northern, as well as in the 



204 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



northwestern, states. In 1876. he had charge 
of the company's exhibit at the Centennial 
Exposition, in Philadelpliia, and two years 
later accepted a similar connnission at the 
World's I'air. in Paris, heinp absent from 
home ten months. 

In April, 1861, Mr. Cronan enlisted for 
three months in the Union army as a lieu- 
tenant of Company K. organized in Brandon. 
.\l the expiration of that period, he returned 
and re-enlisted from the same jilacc. — Ih'an- 
don. \'t.. — where three companies of \olun- 
teers were raised. He enlisted as captain in 
the third com])any there formed, which was 
Company l'>. Jth Keg.. Vermont Infantry. 
This com])any went into camp at Rutland, in 
January, 1862. and was transferred to the 
front h'ebruary 23. 1862. They jiarticipated 
in the first fight at Baton Rouge, August 5, 
1862, where Colonel George T. Roberts fell. 
The colonel was a brother of the wife of Gen. 
Baxter. Mr. Cronan suffered a sunstroke 
and was taken to the hospital, from which he 
finally returned home in July, 1864, receiv- 
ing an honorai)lc discharge from further ser\- 
ice, for disability. 

On his twenty-fourth birthday, September 
12, 1862. William Cronan was joined in mat- 
rinion\- with Catherine Sullnan, who was born 
in the town of L'hittendcn, \'ermom. The 
young folk settled in P>randon. \'t.. where they 
continued to live until 1880. when they re- 
moved to Rutland, and subsequently settled 
in their present large and comfortable home, 
which was built by Mr. Cronan, in 1889. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Cronan have been born the fol- 



lowing children : Mary E., who died July 3, 
1898; Joseph F., of Rutland; John B.. also of 
Rutland : William D., of St. .-\lbans. \'t. ; Law- 
rence 11.. of Pennington. \l.: James V... who 
died at the age of eleven years; and Daniel 
L.. of Rutland. 

The suljject of this sketch and his amiable 
wife ha\e two grandchildren. Air. Cronan 
is a member of the Royal Arcanum, and of 
the Knights of Columbus, a benevolent order. 
He is also a valued member of Roberts Po-st, 
Xo. 14, G. A. R.. which was named for his 
colonel. In politics, he is independent, vot- 
ing always for the man, in preference to party. 
He has served as trustee of the village of Rut- 
land, and is an active member of the Catholic 
church. Industrious, thrifty, and of the ut- 
most probity, the subject of this sketch is 
most thoroughly res|)ected throughout the 
comnumitv. 



-r--^ DWARD C. TAYLOR, one of Tin- 
P mouth's mo.st successful business 

'^ ' " men, is proprietor of a large general 
store, and carries the most complete stock of 
goods to be found in that vicinity. He is a 
son of Charles E. and Maria (Hathaway) Tay- 
lor, and was born at Middlelown Springs, 
V't., February 10, 1875. 

|(ihn P. Tavlor. the grandfather of Edward 
C, was born in Pawlet, Rutland county, Vt., 
and early in life learned the trade of a black- 
smith, and also that of a shoemaker. He was 
a very industrious man, and was successful. 
Later he removed with his family to Middle- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



205 



town Springs, and remained tliere the re- 
mainder of his life. He was united in marriage 
with Mary Goodrich, a lineal descendant of 
William Goodrich, who came from England 
about the year 1648, and settled in Wethers- 
freld, Connecticut. He was the son of Richard 
Goodrich, whose brother Thomas, Bishop of 
Ely, was a member of the council that per- 
mitted Henry \'H1 to put away Catherine. 
For this service, Henry made him Lord Chan- 
cellor of England, in 1551, which office he 
held until his death in 1554. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Taylor four children were 
born, as follows: Charles E., the father of 
our subject ; Dallas, who died in infancy ; Phil- 
enda, the wife of F. H. Hoadley, a manufac- 
turer, of Wallingford, Vermont ; and Jane 
(Goodspeed). 

Charles E. Taylor was born in Middletown 
Springs, Yt.. in 184J, and received his edu- 
cation in the public schools there, and at Troy 
Conference Academy, taking a very thorough 
business course. He undertook agricultural 
pursuits and assisted his father until 1882, 
having purchased a farm of two hundred 
acres, in 1878. He then traded his farm and 
moved to Pawlct, where he opened a general 
merchandise store. This he successfully con- 
ducted until 1889, employing three men as 
clerks. He then returned to his farm, where 
he lived until his death, in 1890. Politically, 
he was a Democrat and held a few of the town 
offices. Socially, he was a member of Poult- 
ney Lodge, F. & A. M. He was united in mar- 
riage with Maria Hathaway, who was born 
in Tinmouth, and educated there and at Cas- 



tleton normal school. Like her husband she 
taught school for several terms, he in Wells 
township and she in Tinmouth. They be- 
came the parents of five children, namely: 
Daniel P., now a professor of Boulder Col- 
lege, in Colorado; Albert L., connected with 
the Cypress Lumber Co., of Boston, Mass.; 
Edward C, the subject of this sketch ; Blanche 
H., a student in Northfield, Mass. ; and Frank 
G., a student in the University of Vermont, at 
Burlington. 

Edward C. Taylor, after receiving a good 
preliminary education in the public schools 
of F'awlet, took a Itusiness course at Poult- 
ney, and, subsequently, at Hartford, Connec- 
ticut. He then accepted a position as sales- 
man in a clothing house, with the firm of A. L. 
Foster & Co., but on account of ill-health, he 
returned to Vermont, and spent the next year 
in recuperation. He then started a general 
merchandise store in Tinmouth, in 1897, or- 
ganizing the firm of E. C. Taylor & Com- 
pany, — his partner being D. G. Hathaway, — 
succeeding J. J. Mooney. The subject of this 
sketch is general manager of the establish- 
ment, and attends to all the buying and sell- 
ing. The firm is located in a large two-story 
building, the storeroom being on the lower 
floor. It is well arranged, and is stocked with 
a complete line of dry goods, groceries, hard- 
ware, gentlemen's furnishings, hats and caps, 
boots and shoes, patent medicines, farm im- 
plements, tobacco, cigars, and confectionery. 
Mr. Taylor has been postmaster, for two 
years. He is an enterprising young business 
man, and has established an excellent repu- 



206 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tation for integrity and g-eneral business 
ability. 

Politically, Mr. Taylor is a Repulilican, and 
ha.s .served as town auditor and notary public. 
Religiously, he is an attendant of the Con- 
gregational church. 



work on a farm in Jackson county, Kansas. 
lie remained in Kansas twelve years, and 
learned the trade of a frcscoe painter. He ac- 

i|nircd (|uite a patronage in that business, and 
worked at it for years. Subse(|uently. he ac- 
cepted a position as tra\eling agent for the 
Dindiani Smoking Tobacco Company, of 
North Carolina. 

The subject of this sketch then decided to 

;. Wlld.lA.M Kll'Lh'.V Hl.OS- abandon his wandering coin-sc. and ht him- 

1(7)1 .^<).M. a successful general practi- self for the medical i)rofession. in i8qi, he 



B 



tioncr of Cuttingsville, Rutland 
couiU}-. X'ermont, lirst saw the light of day 
.\pril iS, 185S. in I'ittsficld, \'ermoiU. .\ftcr 
recei\ing a practical education in the public 
schools oi his nati\e place, he went to Bos- 
ton, to acipiire a knowledge of mercaiUile af- 
fairs. There he workt'd in a ])rovision store, 
for eighteen months. Then connnenced a 
series of adventures that demonstrated the 
versatility of his resources, and his ability to 
adajit himself to an\' condition. 

He weiU to Wisconsin ;ind found eniplo\-- 
meiU. for about ten mouths, in a meat mar- 
ket, conducted by C. \. Clay. lie then 
nio\-ed to the lilack Hills and engaged in 
mining, lie continued there, working in the 
mine and li\ing in tents, for se\en months. 
His next mo\ e was to St. Joseph. Missouri. 
Fie ser\ed as clerk, during one wiiUer. in a 
hotel of that ]>lace. and then acce])ted a i)osi- 
tion at i'"ort WDrth. Texas. He assisting in 
driving ten thousand head of cattle, from the 
latter place to Dodge City, Kansas. This 
task was full of resi^onsibility. and occupied 
eight months, in \Xji>. Dr. Blossom went to 



entered the Baltimore Medical College, where 
he took a s])ecial hos])ital course, lie was an 
earnest, hrn-d-working student, lie then at- 
tended the Kansas City Medical College, from 
which he graduated. 

Dr. Blossom began the ])ractice of his pro- 
fession in I'ittsford, X'ermout. but remained 
there oidy a short time, lie then located in 
his present held of labor at Cuttings\-ille, 
where he has a large patronage and has been 
more than ordinarily successful. His practice 
has grown to such proportions th.at he has 
latelv found it necessary to call in the serv- 
ices of an assistant, lie was fortunate in se- 
curing the aid of Dr. Martin, who graduated 
with liigh honors from American and Cierman 
universities. 

The remarkable success of Dr. IjIossoiu in 
his profession mav undoubtedly be attributed 
to the re>nlts wltich he has produced in ap- 
parently lio]5eless cases. Many ])rcHunmccd 
iifCurable h;i\e been taken in h;mil by him 
and restored to health. 1 li.s lite as a i)hysician 
is a hard one. lie never neglects a call, but 
in the l)itter winter nights for which \'er- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



207 



mont is noted, he forces his way across tlie 
mountains, often through ch'ifts too deep foi- 
his iTorse. At sucli times, lie is compelled to 
leave his horse, and wade throut^h drifts tix'C 
or six feet deep. He li\es the simple, heroic 
life of a "doctor of the old school." Dr. Blos- 
som is a son of Orvis Blossom, a grandson of 
William Ripley Blossom, a great-grandson of 
Zenas Blossom, Jr., and a great-great-grand- 
son of Zenas Blossom, Sr. 

Zenas Blossom, Sr., was born in England. 
He, in company with two brothers, Zacharias 
and William, came to America. Zacharias 
settled at Plymouth, Mass., William, at New 
Albany, on the Hudson, and Zenas, at Pitts- 
field, Massachusetts. It is supposed that they 
were all single men at that time and married 
in this country. They engaged in farming, 
and were active [)artici])ants in the French 
and Indian War; they were soiuetimes occu- 
pied in building roads. 

Zenas Blossom, Jr., was born at Pittsfiekl, 
Massachusetts, and received as liberal an edu- 
cation as was possible in those times. He 
fought bravely throughout the Revolutionary 
War, and served as captain. After the war, 
he mo\'ed to \'ermont, with some other aml)i- 
tious Massachusetts families. They settled in 
Rutland county, and named the place Pitts- 
field, after the old home. They went there in 
emigrant wagons, — following trails tlu-ough 
the forests. 

Zenas Blossom built a log house, and later, 

a grist-iuill : this mill was possibly one of the 

first in the state. After clearing a small piece 

'of land, he raised vegetables and grain, for 



faiuily use. It was an arduous task to clear 
the land, which was done principally by cut- 
ting down the trees and burning them. He 
also manufactured potash which was his only 
means of obtaining mejuey. He lixed to the 
advanced age of ninety-four years and reared 
si.x cliildren, the youngest of whom was Wil- 
liam I^ipley. 

^^'illiam Ripley Blossom was seven years 
old when the family removed to Vermont. 
.After pursuing his elementary studies, and 
obtaining the rudiments of an education, he 
continued to gain knowledge by self tuition. 
He succeeded so well that when only seven- 
teen years old, lie began to teach, and fol- 
lowed this occupation for eight years. In the 
meantime he had ])urchased three hundred 
acres of land which he cleared, built a log 
house thereon, and engaged in general farm- 
ing, and sugar raising. He married Czarina 
Cole, of Randolph, Vermont. The stockings 
which he wore at his wedding are in the 
possession of the subject hereof. The follow- 
ing description of his wedding costume is 
interesting and is attached to the stockings. 

"William R. Blossom was married in these 
stockings with low, kid slippers. He also 
wore a blue, broadcloth suit with short knee 
pants and a white vest. His bride was C. 
Cole, of Randolph, dressed in white. Were 
married at her uncle's in Sherburne, by the 
Rev. Justus Parsons, June 6, 1822. He was 
thirty-three, and she was twent\-three." 

This worthy couple had seven children, as 
follows : Czarina (Ciiurch) ; Ellen, wife of 
Rev. Mr. Willard ; Orville, a merchant in Bos- 



208 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ton; Orvis, Dr. Ripley's father; William, a 

farmer in llnltdii. Kansas; and two others, 
who died in infancy. 

^^'illiam R. Blossom was first a \\'hig and 
afterward a Republican. He represented the 
town twice in the State Legislature. He 
served as justice of the peace, for thirty-five 
years, and in all the township offices. He was 
a ileacon of the Congregational church, and 
was acti\-e in all church matters. He partic- 
ipated in the War of 1812. He was elected 
captain of his company, and went north as far 
as Ticonderoga. He was particularly active 
in road building, and worked upon the first 
permanent road in the town of Pittsfield. 

Orvis Blossom was born in Pittsfield, Ver- 
mont, in 183.2. He was mentally trained 
in the public schools, and learned farm- 
ing by working with his father. He pur- 
chased a saw mill operated by water 
power. It was located one mile west 
of the village of Pittsfield, and was one of 
the old "up-and-down'" kind. He conducted 
this mill throughout his active days, — man- 
ufacturing rough lumber which he .sold to 
local trade. He also did custom work. His 
mill had an old, floating, "four-foot," over- 
shot wheel, and a capacity of fifteen hundred 
feet per day. He owned about two hundred 
acres of timber land, and sawed all kinds, but, 
mostly, spruce. He shipped hemlock. 

His marriage with Emeline Swan, a daugh- 
ter of Ebenezer Swan, of Barnard, resulted in 
the Ijirth of two children, William Ripley, the 
subject hereof, and luneline R. (Furman). 
Orvis Blossom was a Republican, in politics. 



He served as selectman, and was on the school 

board, and in \ariods other town offices. He 
was an active member of the Congregational 
church, and officiated as class leader and chor- 
ister. He died in 1888, aged fifty-six years. 
His widow still survives him. She was born 
in Barnard, Vt., in 1833. 

Dr. Blossom was united in marriage, in 
1877, with Josephine Crane, a daughter of 
Columbus Crane. I\Irs. Blossom was born in 
Leavenworth, Kansas, in i860, and was edu- 
cated in the public schools of that city. She 
has five children, namely: Elsie; Ethel; 
Frank; Fay and Wilhclniina. Dr. Blossom is 
an adherent of the Republican party, but is 
not active in politics. He is a member of Hol- 
ton Lodge, No. 42. F. & A. M., of Holton, 
Kansas, and of Friendship Lodge, No. 15, K. 
of P., of Holton, Kansas. 



(^Yr-LBERIC H. BELLEROSE, M. D., 
ftA a rising young physician of Rutland, 
V^ Vermont, is a Canadian by birth. 
He was born in Nicolet, Province of Quebec, 
Canada, July 13, 1867, and was educated in 
the college at that place. The degrees of B. 
M. and M. I), were conferred upon him by 
the La\al University, of Montreal, where he 
fitted himself for his profession. 

Dr. Bellerose began practice in Rutland, 
Vermont, in 1892, and has ra])idly advanced 
to the front rank. Nature has been generous 
to him, and endowed him with a sjilendid phy- 
sique and almost perfect health. In addition 




DR. CARROLL B. ROSS. 

MRS. CHARLOTTE M. (DKWEY) ROSS. 
DR. Ll'CRKTIUS DF.WF.Y RO.SS. 

PAUL D. ROSS. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



211 



to his pliysical qualifications, the Doctor is a 
man of higli intellectual attainments. Thus 
he is doubly equipped not only to withstand 
the hardships incident to the life of a physician, 
but is all the more competent to cope with 
disease. He is a general [jractitioner and his 
increasing practice fully attests his worth 
and popularity. 

Dr. Bellerose is a son of Norbert and Brid- 
get (Duggan) Bellerose. His father was an 
extensive land owner, farmer, and broker in 
Nicolet, where his death occurred, March 14, 
1868, at the age of fifty-two years. Dr. Belle- 
rose is the youngest of eleven children, — 
seven sons and four daughters, — all of whom, 
together with the beloved mother, are still 
living. He is the only member of the family 
who left Canada. In addition to his regular 
practice. Dr. Bellerose is a medical attendant 
in the Rutland Hospital, where he gains much 
valuable experience. His whole time and 
energy are given to his work, and his natural 
industry, good morals, and correct habits, be- 
speak for liim a successful career. 

The subject of this sketch is a Forester, and, 
in politics, favors the Republican party. 



B 



R. LL'CRETIUS DEWEY ROSS, 
a venerable and liighly respected cit- 
izen of Poultney. was for many years 
one of the ablest physicians and surgeons of 
Rutland county, Vermont. He was born in 
East Poultney, on July 4, 1828. Dr. Ross 
attended the select school in Hampton, taught 



liy the Rev. ^loore Bingham, an Episcopal 
rector. Many pupils of his select school be- 
came men of prominence, and some developed 
into able statesmen. Among the students at 
that day were, Edward J. Phelps, who was 
afterward minister to the Court of St. James ; 
.Artenuis Waldo, of New York; and Samuel 
Beaman, of Wisconsin. The latter's grand- 
father led Ethan Allen into Fort Ticonderoga. 
Dr. Ross took a preparatory course at Castle- 
ton, and at Troy Conference Academy, in 
Poultne}'. He graduated from Middlebury 
College, in 1852. In 1857, he graduated from 
Castleton Medical College, and began practice 
in East Poultney. 

In i860, when thirty-two years old. Dr. 
Ross was united m marriage with Adeline A. 
Baldwin, a fair daughter of H. G. and Rox- 
ana (Strongwood) Baldwin, influential citi- 
zens of Brandon, Vermont. Six children 
blessed this union, namely : Carroll B. ; Wil- 
lis M. ; Anna D. ; Lucretius Henry; Paul G., 
and Charles L. Carroll B. Ross is a successful 
jihysician. in W^est Rutland. Vermont, ^^'illis 
M. is an able attorney in Rutland. Anna D. 
remains at home, where she is her father's 
competent housekeeper. Lucretius Plenry is 
a practicing physician in Bennington, \^er- 
mont. Paul G. is postmaster in Poultney. 
Charles L. is a druggist and expert pharma- 
cist, in Hoosic Falls, New York. 

Dr. Ross has lost one granddaughter and 
has, living, six grandsons and one grand- 
daughter. His five sons are all graduates of 
Middlebury College. Two of them, doctors, 
are also Harvard graduates. October 28, 



212 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



1874. Dr. Ross was called upon to sustain the 
loss of his nuicli hcloN'cd wife, who died in her 
f()rt\-lifth \oar. The walls of several rooms 
ill his house are thickly crowded with works 
of art. in oil i)aintin^-. from the hands of his 
departed wife, and those of his daughter. 
Ainia D. .Many of the pieces are indicative of 
real genius. 

Dr. Ross is a son of Paul 'S\. and Charlotte 
Mosely (Dewey) Ross, and a grandson of Paul 
and Olive (Mower) Ross. The Doctor's 
grandfather was a native of Barre, Vermont. 
He was twice married. His union with Olive 
Mower, of Barre, resulted in the birth of one 
son. Paul M., father of the subject hereof. 
The mother died at his birth, and the Doctor's 
grandfather again married, rearing four sons 
by his second tmion. Their names are: 
Abram ; Stephen ; ( )zias. and John. The 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch was 
a farmer in good circumstances. He started 
for the battle of Plattsburg. New York, but 
was too late to participate in the conflict, 
which was one of the first battles of the War 
of 18 1 2. In his religious views, he was a 
Universalist. His remains rest in the burial 
ground at Barre, Vermont. 

Paul M. Ross, father of the subject hereof, 
was born in Barre, \'erniont, in the year 1800. 
February 14. 1826, he wedded Charlotte 
ISIoseley Dewey, an accomplished daughter of 
Dr. David and Anna (Morse) Dewey, of 
Poultney, where Dr. Ross' mother was born. 
September 10, 1804. She was the eldest of 
ten children. Of these, three sons and four 
daughters grew to maturity. Those now liv- 



ing are: Zebadlah. of East Poultney, and 
Laura, widow of J. W. King, of Glens Falls, 
New ^'ork. ( InfurniatiDU concerning the 
Dewey family may be found in the History of 
Rutland County, and, also, in a large volume, 
recently published, which is devoted to a his- 
tory of the Dewey s.) 

Dr. Ross is the only child of his parents. 
His father was a harness maker by trade. He 
was successfully engaged in that business for 
thirty years, in East Poultne_\-. ^'ermont. .\t 
a later period, in company with others, he en- 
gaged in the manufacture of melodeons. He 
removed from Barre to Poultney, in 1825, 
nearly three-quarters of a century ago. He 
acquired a competence, but could not boast of 
such affluent circumstances, as the Deweys. 
He died in 1870, and his widow survived him 
for twenty-eight years. She died at the old 
home in East Poultney. in the spring of 1898, 
having passed her ninety-third birthday. 

Dr. Ross is a Mason, and is a memlier of 
the Morning Star Council and Chapter. 
In politics, he is a Rei)ublican and has served 
as su])erintendent of schools six years, as 
tow II clerk, two years, and as pension exam- 
iner, for eleven years. He was appointed as- 
sistant surgeon of the 14th Regiment, Ver- 
mont Infantr\', and after scr\ing nine months, 
with that regiment, was transferred to the 
military hospital at Brattleboro, Vermont. 
Dr. Ross is a consistent member of the Bap- 
tist church, but in early life was connected 
with the Congregational church. His wife 
was a Baptist. He purchased his pleasant 
home on Beaman street, in 1869, and in it he 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



213 



Still lives most happily and contentedly. ' 

On a preceding page, in connection with 
this sketch, is found an interesting family 
group, sliowing portraits of four generations 
of the Ross family, viz. : Mrs. Charlotte M. 
(Dewey) Ross, our sul)ject's mother; Dr. Lu- 
cretius Dewey Ross, our subject ; Dr. Carroll 
B. Ross, our subject's son ; and Paul D. Ross, 
son of Dr. Carroll B. Ross. 




'AMUEL KENDALL BURBANK, 
a prosperous hardware merchant of 
Pittsford, Vermont, also owns a half 
interest in the firm of Burbank & Leonard, 
box manufacturers of the same place, and fills 
many positions of trust in his community. 
^Ir. Burbank was born in Proctorsville, Ver- 
mont, March 15, 1844. He is a son of Abel 
and Almira (Blood) Burbank. a grandson of 
Samuel and Eunice (Kendall) Burbank, and a 
great-grandson of Samuel Burbank, who was 
born in IMassachusetts, in 1706. 

The Burbank family is of Scotch-Irish ex- 
traction. Samuel Kendall Burbank's grand- 
• father, Samuel Burbank, was l)orn in Sudbury, 
Massachusetts, June 24, 1735. He was joined 
in marriage, in 1773, with Eunice Kendall; 
the ceremony took place in Hollister, Massa- 
chusetts, where they lived for some time. At 
a later period they removed to Fitchburg, 
Massachusetts, and engaged in farming. 
About the year 1800, Samuel Burbank lo- 
cated in Vermont. He died in Cavendish, Vt., 
February 26, 1808. His widow survived him 



until June 30, 1845, when she passed to her 

final rest, at the ad\'anced age of ninety-five 
years. 

Samuel Burbank was a soldier of the Revo- 
lutionary War. He was a lieutenant, and 
was in command of his company in the battle 
of Bunker Hill. Just before the battle, his 
captain showed the white feather, and Lieu- 
tenant iUnbank assumed command, and ren- 
dered gallant service. Samuel Burbank and 
his worthy wife reared ten of their eleven chil- 
dren, — seven sons and three daughters. One 
grandson, Sidney Burbank, was educated at 
West Point, and was a prominent general in 
the Civil War. 

Abel Burbank, father of Samuel Kendall, 
was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, March 
4, 1794. He married Almira Blood, of Proc- 
torsville, Vermont. Almira was born April 
15, 1808. She was a daughter of Zaccheus 
and Experience (Proctor) Blood. Her ma- 
ternal grandfather was Solomon Proctor, of 
-Massachusetts, for whom Proctorsville was 
named. He was a man of property and in- 
fluence, and was a captain in the Revolution- 
ary War. The parents of the subject hereof 
were married, March 7, 1827. Six children 
were born to them, namely: Augusta. Vale- 
ria, Albin Sullivan, Henry Zaccheus, Samuel 
Kendall, the subject of this record, and Clara 
Experience. Augusta was born February 3. 
1828. She married Rev. Edward A. Rice, a 
Methodist minister. Three children blessed 
this union, — Edward B., Almira, and Clara 
Louise. Valeria was born August 11, 1832. 
She married Charles J. Fenton, town treas- 



214 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



urcr. of Pittsford, Vermont. Alhin Sullivan 
was l)orn in Proctorsville, April 4. 1H38. He 
is a manufacturor of woolen goods, and owns 
a woolen mill, lie has a wife and one daugh- 
ter. Henry Zaccheus was born July i. 1841. 
He resides in Boston, with his wife antl two 
daughters. Clara Experience was born June 
iT), 1830. and resides in Pittsford, being still 
unmarried. Al^el Burbank was a prominent 
merchant in Proctorsville. He started out, a 
])Oor boy without ca])ital. and accumulated 
a good property. He stood high in the estima- 
tion of his ac(|uaintances. He was c.nptain in 
the militia. He was an official member of the 
Methodist church, of which his wife was also 
a devout member. Mr. Burbank's father died 
Mav 21. 1877. sur\iving his wife more than 
thirteen vears. She died Xo\ember 21. 1864. 
Tliev rest in the cemetery at Proctorsx'ille, 
where the greater part of their lives was sjjent. 
Samuel Kendal! Burbank attended public 
school until he attained the age of seventeen 
years. He then went to work in his brother's 
woolen mill, continuing thus one year. In 
the meantime he h;ul gained some knowledge 
of bookkeeping, and he then kejH books for 
his brother, for three years. He followed a 
similar occupation in Boston for about nine 
months, and resigned to accept a position as 
cashier of the St, Nicholas Hotel, in Xew 
N'ork City, which position he retained for ten 
vears. This hotel was begun, on borrowed 
capital, bv .Sanniel H.awk, who, in ten vears, 
made one million dollars. Mr. lUirbank 
left New York City and moved to Pittsford, 
twenty years ago. 



June 19, 1872, Mr. Burbank married Nancy 
Jane Tottingham, of Pittsford, \'ermont. Mrs. 
Burbank is a daughter of Jose])h B. and Caro- 
line (Hall) Tottingham. Her mother was a 
daughter of Elias Hall, and her marriage witli 
Josejih B. Tottingham resulted in the birth of 
two daughters, ]\lary. and Xancy Jane, Mr. 
Burbank's wife. Mary married Henry W. 
Taylor, the chief engineer of the House of 
Representatives, in Washington, District of 
Columbia. Mrs. Burbank's father died, ami 
her mother again married. She became the 
wife of Carlos A. Hitchcock, now of Wash- 
ington, District of Columbia. 

Carlos .\. Hitchcock was born in the town 
of Rutland, five miles from Pittsford, X'^ovem- 
ber 2. 1820. He is a son of Toyman and Par- 
tliena (Weed) Hitchcock, and a grandson of 
Remembrance and lumice (.\llen) Hitchcock. 
His gr.'uidparents reared six children, as ft)l- 
lows: Pyman ; Harr\- : .\bigail; .\nson : Mar- 
cus: and I'lliza, who died when twenty-five 
years old. She was a Methodist minister's 
wife. 

I.ynum Hitchcock married I^u'thena Weed, 
of Pittsford, \ ermont. Four children were 
born to them, three of whom grew up, \iz. : 
Carlos .\., Marcus, and Oscar. Lyman Hitch- 
cock was a farmer in Chittenden, \'t., for 
thirt}- years before his death, which took place 
when he was aliout fifty years old. He was 
in good circumstances, but at one time lost 
his last dollar by signing as security for a 
friend. 

Carlos A. Hitchcock was reared to farm life. 
When eighteen years old, he became a clerk 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



215 



in a general merchandise store in Clarendon 
Springs, where he remained about four years. 
At a later period he served as deputy sheriff 
under Sheriff Edgerton, and also under Sher- 
iff' Field. He served writs, for a period of 
twenty-five years. He was also constable and 
collector for a number of years, and was at 
last glad to retire. During this time he also 
engaged in tlie hardware business in Pitts- 
ford. In 1870, he served in the legislature. 
His only son, Fred Hitchcock, died at the 
early age of fifteen and a half years, and, in 
1885. his beloved wife died. Mr. Hitchcock- 
was a member of the Republican party, but 
of late has eschewed all partisan politics. He 
never joined any societ}', and has made his 
home in Washington, since 1889. 

Mr. Burbank, also, is a stanch Republican. 
He has not onl)- lillecl various town offices, 
but has held higher positions of trust. In 
1894, he served in the lower house of the leg- 
islature; his brother, Albin, was in the State 
Senate, the same year, from Windsor county. 
Mr. Burbank has been steward, trustee, and 
recording secretary of the M. E. church, for a 
period of eighteen years. He located in his 
present residence, in 1879, and in that year 
engaged in the hardware business, with Car- 
los A. Hitchcock. For fifteen years the firm 
of Hitchcock & Burbank did a prosperous 
fnisiness. until Mr. Hitchcock retired. Since 
then, the subject of this sketch has conducted 
the concern alone. Mr. Burl^ank is a director 
of the Merchants' Bank, of Rutland, and, also, 
of the Proctor Trust Company, of Proctor, 
Vermont. Besides his splendid store, he also 



owns a half interest in the firm of Burbank & 
Leonard. This firm was organized but two 
years ago, and operates a box factory. It has 
proved to he one of the most successful busi- 
ness enter]M-ises of the \illagc, and furnishes 
enii)loyment to at least twenty men. 

Mr. Burbank is one of the representatixe 
men in this section of Vermont. His opin- 
ions are sought and valued as those of a cit- 
izen of deliberate and temperate judgment, 
and of intelligent thousht. 




,HARLES W. NORTON, a well-to-do 
dealer in general merchandise, residing 
in Wallingford, Rutland county, 
V^ermont, was liorn in Tinmouth, \'ermont, 
December 28, 1861. His primary education 
in the public school was supplemented by a 
course at Lawrence Academy at Groton, Aver- 
ment, from which he graduated, in i88j. 
After leaving school, Mr. Norton returned to 
Tinmouth and undertook trading, in all its 
branches. In 1897, he moved to his present 
place in Wallingford. He deals in jiaints, 
lumber wagons, machinery, bicycles, dia- 
monds, jewelry, furniture, lime, and a great 
many other things. Mr. Norton is an active, 
enterprising and progressive man. He pos- 
sesses all the qualifications essential to busi- 
,ness success. His residence in the town of 
Wallingford is the prettiest house in the vil- 
lage. It stands on an eminence, surrounded 
by pretty lawns. The house itself is built in 
the old colonial style. It contains ten large 



216 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



rooms, anfl is 1)cautifully finislicd. l:)Otli in- 
side and outside. Mrs. Norton also own.s a 
residence at Middletown Springs, and Mr. 
Norton owns building;' lots in .Mhany, and 
Rutland, diaries W. .N'orton is a son of W' il- 
liani W. and I lenrietta ( P.radley) Norton, and 
a j^randson of .\aron and Saniantlia ( .-\n • 
drews) Norton. 

.'\aron Norton was born in Tinmouth, Ver- 
mont, lie descended from sturdy pioneers. 
He \\;is schooled at his nati\'e place, where 
he learned the trade of a tanner. He owned 
and operated a tannery, manufacturing all 
kinds of leather, em])l()ving eight or ten 
men. He was joined in marriage with Sam- 
antha Andrews, of Cornwall, \'ermont. Sam- 
antha was a descendant of an old Connecticut 
family, who went from that state to \'ermont, 
on horselsack. As the Indians were trouble- 
some, they were obliged to return to Con- 
necticut. Two years later, they nio\ed back 
to the Vermont farm. .Karon Norton and 
his wife reared seven children, namely: .\dra 
(Carpenter); Mary A. (Wheeler); Fanny 
(Pendleton) ; Calysta (Pendleton) ; Harriet 
(Mehurin); William; and Cornelius. 

William Norton was born in Tinmouth, \'t., 
in i(Sii. He was mentally trained in the pul)- 
lic schools of his native town. Jle learned 
painting and frescoing, and followed tliat 
trade many ye;iis. While yet a young man, he 
removed to Lowell. .Massachusetts, and went 
into business for himself. I lis affairs pros- 
jiered, and he soon employed ipiite a num- 
ber of men to assist him. William Norton 
married Henrietta Bradley, a daughter of 



Franklin Bradley. Franklin Bradley was the 
son of an old Revolutionary hero, who par- 
ticipated in se\-eral battles near Concord, and 
other i)laces. Mrs. Bradley was a cousin of 
Brigadier-General Joseph Morrill, who was 
active in the Ci\il War. .She was also a sister 
of .Mrs. Charles W hitne\-, whose husband was 
a wealtln- hnnber merchant, of Boston. 

Charles W. Norton's parents reared five 
children, as follows; fuigene W., Fred W., 
Marion, .\ddie C. and the subject of this 
sketch, luigene W. is now in Chicago. He 
has a ]30sition on the Chicago, Milwaukee i^ 
St. Taul Railway. Fred W. resides in the 
southern part of California, where he has been 
a principal of schools, for twenty-five 
years. Clarion married George Marsh, 
a well-known bookkeeper in Chicago. Addie 
C. married F. W . Howard, wholesale 
druggist, at W hite River Junction, \'er- 
mont. After many years. William Norton 
ga\-e up i)ainting, left Massachusetts, and 
went to Tinmouth, \'ermont. He pur- 
chased two hundred acres of land in that \i- 
cinitv. and de\ote<l the remainder of his life 
to general farming, and dairying. He raised 
some fine Holstein cattle. Politically. Wil- 
liam Norton was a Republican, and held most 
of the town offices. Fie died in 1884, aged 
seventv-three years. His widow survived him 
until i8yj. She was seventy-four years okl 
at the time of her death. 

Charles W. Norton was united in marriage 
w ith Florence \'irginia Coy, daughter of Mar- 
tin and Fucia (Cook) Coy. Martin Coy was 
a son of Reulien Coy, one of the early set- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



217 



tiers of \"ermont. Martin was born in Middle- 
town Springs, Vermont. He followed farm- 
ing and succeeded to the old homestead. His 
wife was a native of Tinmouth. They reared 
three children, as follows: Everlin. a farmer 
on the home farm ; Mary : and Florence Vir- 
ginia, the wife of Charles W. Norton. Mrs. 
Norton was educated at Castleton State Nor- 
mal School, from which she graduated. She 
then followed the profession of teaching. She 
taught in different places, .fifteen terms in all, 
and was a very successful instructress. Three 
children bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Nor- 
ton. They are : Whitney C, aged twelve 
years ; Roscoe, aged ten years ; and Henrietta, 
aged six years. The family unite in worship- 
ing at the Congregational church. The sub- 
ject of this sketch is a Republican, in politics, 
but would never accept office. 






EORGE D. WHEATON, a retired 
farmer of Pittsford, Vermont, where 
"he is verv pleasantly situated, comes of 
English ancestry. The name was originally 
spelled "Whedon." The first progenitor of 
the family in America was one Thomas Whe- 
don, who left England, in 1650, when nine- 
teen years of age. He settled in North Bran- 
ford, Connecticut, where he learned the tan- 
ner's trade with a Mr. Gilbert. About 1657, 
he was joined in marriage with Hannah Har- 
vey. Thomas Whedon became a man of 
wealth and influence. He attained the great 
age of ninety years, and reared two sons and 
four daughters. His sons were Thomas, Jr., 



and Jonathan. One of these brothers had 
a son, Isaac, who also had sons, three in 
number: Solomon, Isaac, Jr., and James. 
James wedded Dina Whedon, who bore him 
four sons, as follows : Rufus, Isaac, Pittman, 
and James. Lsaac was George D. Wheaton's 
grandfather, and will be mentioned later, 
herein. 

Rufus Whedon was born in Connecticut, in 
1757. On the breaking out of the Revolu- 
tionary War, when he was eighteen years old, 
he enlisted in the American armv and served 
during the entire conflict. He was a close 
friend of Washington, and was with him in 
most of his hard-fought battles. For a time 
he served as body guard to that great general 
and patriot. After the war, he married Anna 
Norton, and lixed in his native state until 
1827, when he removed with his family to 
Pittsford, Vermont. There he resided with his 
brother Isaac, the grandfather of George D., 
for nearly a year. April 2, 1828, he purchased 
a farm of Abel Penfield, and made his home 
there. February 9, 1839, his wife died, from 
smallpo.x. Rufus Whedon was again married, 
this time wedding the widow Gatt, of Rut- 
land. He died April 5, 1840. Like many of 
the name, he was a tall man but was more 
portly than the subject hereof. He was both 
sociable and entertaining'. In relating" his 
military experience, he told luany interesting 
anecdotes of "the father of our country." 

George D. \\'heaton's grandfather changed 
his name from Isaac Whedon, to Isaac \^'hea- 
ton. He was born August 7, 1770. Isaac 
Wheaton was a man of affairs. He was, by 



218 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



trade, a joiner. He settled on a farm of one 
hundred and ten acres in tlie town of Pitts- 
ford, Vermont ; this farm is still known as the 
Wheaton farm, and has valuable marble (|uar- 
ries upon it. lie served as justice of the 
peace, for many years. Deceml)er 6, 179", he 
married Irene Dike, a daughter of Jonathan 
Dike. Mrs. Isaac Wheaton was born June 25, 
1779, and bore her husband three sons and 
two daughters. Two daughters and one son 
reached maturity. They are: Electa, Mary, 
and Isaac Chester, father of George D. Electa 
married Da\id Hall. She had se\en sons and 
one daughter. Hilary married Joel !\Iead, of 
Rutland, and has one son and one daughter. 
Isaac W'heaton died on November 23, 1851: 
liis widow survived him until Jul\- 5, 1S55. 
Their remains rest in the old burial ground in 
rittsford, \'crmont. 

Isaac Chester W'heaton, George D.'s father, 
was born on a farm about two and a half 
miles northwest of the village of Pittsford, 
October 16, 1809. He was a man of military 
bearing and tastes. He was a member of the 
militia and rose from the ranks to be a gen- 
eral. He culti\ated the old homestead farm 
until 1868, when he sold it, and purchased the 
Hammond farm. General W'iieaton was united 
in marriage with Mary A. Clifford, of Pitts- 
ford, Vermont. This happy event occurred 
Eebruarv 22, 1S31. and their union resulted in 
the birth of three children. General W'heaton 
died in July, 1877, and his death was followed 
by that of his faithful companion, in Decem- 
ber of the following year. She was born April 
30, 1810. Their children were: Edwin C, 



George D., the subject hereof; and Martha A. 
Edwin C. was a prosperous farmer in the 
town of Pittsford, where he died, in 1888, 
One daughter and one son survived him. 
Martha .\. married Dan K. Hall, of Pittsford. 

George D. W'heaton was born upon the 
same farm where his father's Ijirth occurred, 
October 22, 1836. He was reared to farm life 
but had the advantage of an academic educa- 
tion. With the exception of one year spent 
in Illinois and Michigan, he has followed farm- 
ing exc]usi\-ely. On medical examination, he 
was rejected as a soldier in the Civil W'ar. 
October 13, 1863, he was joined in marriage 
with Ella Howard, a daughter of John and 
Jane L. (Spaulding) Howard, of Benson, Ver- 
mont. Mrs. Howard was a native of Bran- 
don, X'ermont. ]\lr. Howard was a farmer 
and died Januarv 7, 1855. His widow sur- 
vived him many years. She died at the home 
of the subject hereof, in Octol)er, 1898, an oc- 
togenarian. She was the mother of l)ut one 
daughter (George D. W'heaton's wife), and 
one son, W'ilbiu' H. Howard. He was a mer- 
chant in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mrs. W'heaton 
was etlucated in Granxille Seminary, in .Yew- 
York. 

The subject of this sketch and his wortliy 
wife ha\'e one son, John Howard. John How- 
ard W'heaton was born June 2, 1871. He is 
the superintendent of one of the \'ermont 
Marble Company plants, in West Rutland. He 
was educated at Rocky Point, and spent two 
years in New York City in the interest of the 
Vermont Marble Company, by whom he has 
been employed several years. 




ORIN A. PECK. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



221 



Mv. \\'heaton was a farmer up to 1892, on 
the Hammond farm of one hundred and fifty 
acres. He sold the Hammond farm, but stiU 
retains his hill farm of seventy acres. He pur- 
chased his present beautiful residence, in the 
spring of 1899, from Frank C. Denison. In 
politics, he is a stanch Republican. He has 
held several town offices. The family unite 
in worshiping at the Congregational church, 
of which they are members. 




RIN A. PECK, a popular merchant of 
Fair Haven, Vermont, whose portrait 
appears on the opposite page, is con- 
sidered to be one of the solid business men 
of Rutland county. Mr. Peck is a native of 
Windsor county, Vt., as was his father before 
him. He attended school until sixteen years 
of age, then left the farm to learn the trade 
of a cabinet maker, at Springfield, Vt. He 
began his business career in Rutland, in 1862, 
where he carried on a furniture business for 
a number of years. In 1869 he went to Fair 
Haven and engaged in similar work until 
1893, doing some building and manufactur- 
ing also. 

During the panic of 1837, Mr. Peck went 
west as far as Iowa and Minnesota and worked 
at his trade as a journeyman. Part of 
the time while west he worked at 
Madison, Wisconsin. He was also located 
for some time at Whitewater, Wis., where he 
assisted a man in establishing a furniture busi- 
ness. Since locating permanently in Fair 



Haven, Mr. Peck has been a very busy man, 
and has been engaged in various enterprises. 
He was road commissioner for eleven years; 
selectman for thirteen years ; village trustee 
four years. During these years, he assisted 
in putting in the water works ; organized and 
equipped two fire companies, and was the first 
fire chief, serving seven years ; he also Iniilt 
the lock-up and hose house. Mr. Peck is a 
Republican, but is a member of no church or 
secret society. He has carried on the furni- 
ture and undertaking business, in connection 
with which he has handled a full line of car- 
pets, etc. Mr. Peck is a son of Orin A.. Sr., 
and Sarah (Shattuck) Peck. 

Orin A. Peck, Sr., was a farmer and died 
in 1840, aged fifty-two years, leaving a widow 
and five children, as follows: Orin A., sub- 
ject of these lines ; Parker S. ; James A. ; Lucy ; 
and Mary. Parker S. was killed during the 
Civil War, in front of Petersburg, and lies 
buried in an unknown grax'e, near the scene of 
his death ; he had been in the service over 
two years. He left a wife, but no children. 
James A., a prominent farmer of Windsor 
county, Vt., has a wife and one son. Lucy 
married a Mr. Abbott, and died at thirty-eight 
years of age, without issue. Mary became 
the wife of Ransom Beckwith ; she died at the 
age of thirty-five years, having previously lost 
her two children. After the death of our sub- 
ject's father, his mother married again; she 
died, in 1890, at the advanced age of eighty- 
four years. 

Our subject's mother was a daughter of Par- 
ker Shattuck, a deacon of the Baptist church 



222 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



for over sixty years. He was one of the organ- 
izers of the cliiircli. in wliich he served as 
deacon until his dcatli. lie served as repre- 
sentati\c of iiis tow n and was an officer of the 
state niihtia. W'iien hut sixteen years of age, 
he left Tcmi)lc, Mass.. and started on his 
career hy working in the woods ten miles 
from any house. He grow to be a strong, 
healthy man and had the reputation of being 
a great worker. He lived to Ije ninety-three 
years old. 

In the spring of 1899, -^f''- Peck sustained 
heavy losses l^y fire. The fire caught in the 
Park ^"iev^' House and in a short time that 
and .Mr. Peck's fine brick house were in ruins. 
.\s yet. our subject is undecided about re- 
building. But it is hoped that he will, for Fair 
Ha\en can ill aft'ord to lose from the ranks 
of her business men so worthv and reliable 
a man as the modest and somewhat reticent 
bachelor — O. .\. Peck. 




APT.AIX CH.VRLES HITCHCOCK, 
late a i)ros])erous and representative 
farmer, of the town of Pittsford. 
Rutland county. \'ermont, who died October 
25, 1899, came of English ancestry. His an- 
cestors emigrated from England in the earliest 
colonial days; some of them even came over 
in the Mayflower. 

In 1797, or more than one hundred and 
one years ago, his grandfather. John Hitch- 
cock, built the house in which the subject 
of this sketch so recently departed this life. 



The house has been changed and enlarged 
during these years, but holds its age remark- 
ably well. In it Captain Hitchcock was born 
March -'4. t8j2. His father, Chajmian Hitch- 
cock, was born in Connecticut, in 1775. He 
made the first improvements, and built a house 
on what was known as the "Alexander place." 
After the death of his father, he returned 
to the paternal home. He was a man of cul- 
ture and refinement. He became ]M"oficient 
in music, and taught singing. He will long 
be remend)ered as leader of the Congrega- 
tional church choir. He was quite a cele- 
brated "Nimrod." and was ever ready to join 
his neighbor in the chase of large game. Both 
deer and bear were numerous. 

On one occasion, when hunting with Au- 
drus Barnard, they and the dog treed a bear, 
and Barnard fired. This brought down the 
bear, which was still, however, able to fight. 
Hitchcock raised his gun to fire but Barnard 
cried, ''Hold on, you'll kill my dog!" Mr. 
Hitchcock then seized a large handspike and 
struck a hea\'y blow at the bear. The latter 
warded it oft', and the lilow fell upon the dog. 
and killed it. Mr. Hitchcock then took his 
gun and destroyed the bear. In 1801. he mar- 
ried Chrissey Hill, who was born in Massa- 
chusetts, in 1779. Eleven children were the 
result of this union. — five of wliom were sons. 
and six daughters. All are now deceased. 

Chapman Hitchcock was a man of promi- 
nence, and held all the town offices. He was 
selectman and justice of the peace many 
years. He died at the advanced age of eighty- 
three years, and his companion died in her 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



223 



seventy-fiftli year. Tliey were among the 
earliest Methodists in Pittsford, Vermont, but 
rest in the Congregational churchyard. 

Captain Hitchcock had a fair, common 
schooling. He married Sarah Jane Merrill, 
who was born in West Rutland, in 1823. She 
was a graduate of Poultney Seminary, and 
taught school there and at other places, prior 
to her marriage, which took place in Pittsford. 
She is a daughter of Harry W. and Abigail 
(Hitchcock) Merrill. Three children were 
born to Captain Hitchcock and his wife, 
namely : Sarah, who died in infancy ; Mer- 
rill ; and Ernest. Merrill Hitchcock was born 
in 1854. He is a Methodist minister and a 
member of the Troy Conference. He grad- 
uated from Wesleyan University in 188 1, He 
lost his first wife, and again married. His 
present wife was Ida May Sharp, before her 
marriage. They have five children, — three 
sons and two daughters, as follows : Irene ; 
Guy Chapman ; Charles Sharp ; Nelson Sibley ; 
and Mary. Ernest Hitchcock, the youngest 
son, is still on the home farm, which he assists 
in cultixating. He married Caroline Ann Cur- 
tice a native of Webster, New York. They 
have four children, viz. : Miriam Curtice, a 
tall young lady of thirteen years; Harry Mer- 
rill, eleven years old; Curtice Nelson, aged 
seven years; and John Allen, five years old. 

In politics. Captain Hitchcock was a stanch 
Republican. He served in the town offices, 
and also, two terms, in the legislature. He 
was an official member of the M. E. church, 
which he joined fifty-nine years ago. Captain 
Hitchcock left a fine farm of three hundred 



and twenty acres. He used to make a spec- 
ialty of raising sheep, and often had as many 
as four hundred or five hundred fine wool 
sheep on his place, at one time. He latterly 
carried on general farming. His son has a 
dair_\- of thirt}' Holstein-Friesian cattle, with a 
few fine Jerseys. Captain Hitchcock held 
many of the town offices. 

Although a slender man, the captain stood 
six feet high ; he was not only a man of dig- 
nified and military bearing, but a refined and 
intellectual gentleman. He came of a tall 
race, on both sides of the familv, and his pos- 
terity are of the same type. 



f^AMES J. McGUIRK, president of the 
McGuirk Wagon Company, of East 
\\'allingford, Vermont, is an active and 
energetic business man. He has acquired an 
enviable reputation in the sphere of his trade. 
His marked success can only be attributed to 
his superior natural abilities and indomitable 
will. The McCiuirk Wagon Company are 
builders of heavy wagons and farm vehicles. 
The subject of this sketch was born in Rut- 
land, Vermont, November 11, 1864, and is a 
son of Matthew McGuirk, wlio was a well- 
known mechanic and worked as a brass 
molder, for nearly thirty years, in the rail- 
road shop of Rutland. He came from a fam- 
ily noted for natural mechanical talent. 

James J. McGuirk obtained his primary 
education in the public schools of Rutland, 
and, later, graduated from the high school. 



224 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



He then went to his father's farm and worked 
for two years. Being of an ainl)itious turn 
of mind, and desiring to support liimself, he 
entered the sliop of S. Terrill, as an appren- 
tice, to learn the wagon maker's trade. Hav- 
ing completed his ajjprenticeship and learned 
his trade, he went to West Rutland and car- 
ried on business for himself, for one and a half 
years. He then visited New York City, and 
by recjuest of Z. B. K. Penfield, went to the 
Islhnuis of I'anam.'i, on l)oartl the steamship 
City of Para, and worked, for eleven months, 
on the celebrated Panama Canal. He then 
returned to New York, and was employed by 
the Empire Iron & Wire Company, erecting 
elevators, fitting up offices, and banks, witii 
fine fixtures. So e.xpert and skilful was his 
work, that his ability soon won for him the 
confidence of his employers and he was 
I)laced in charge of a force of men. Being 
an.xious, however, to become fully competent 
in all branches of his trade, he resigned his 
position with the Empire Iron & Wire Com- 
pany, and entered the em])loy of the Camden 
Iron Works. Here, too, his skill and aliility 
were recognized and he was put to work on 
the largest gas holder in the world, located 
at Ravenswood, Long Island. 

He next found employment with the Roch- 
ester Bridge tK: Iron Works, and was in the 
ser\-ice of that concern for some time, after 
which he took a contract to paint the l)ridges 
at East Wallingford and Ludlow. Not con- 
tent witli always remaining an employee, lie 
abandoned all idea of working for other peo- 
ple, and started in business for himself, at his 



present location. In 1886. he took up his 
trade of wagon maker, and very quickly 
gained an enviable reputation for turning out 
a high grade of work. He makes a specialty 
of heavy farm wagons, capable of resisting 
the severe strain to which they are subjected, 
on the Green Mountains. It is worthy of 
note that some of the first wagons his con- 
cern manufactured have not \et been returned 
for any repairs whatever. The lumber he uses 
is alt taken from his own forests ; nothing but 
absolutely perfect stock is used ; and it pos- 
sesses a quality for which this state is 
famous. 

He first erected a three-story frame build- 
ing, forty by sixty feet, and equipped it with all 
the latest appliances and dexices for [produc- 
ing good work. He socin found this building 
inadequate and decided to ad<l a wing. Sub- 
sequently, two more buildings were erected to 
accommodate his increasing trade. In the 
third story of the main l)uilding is the liarness 
shop, where he manufactures a fine grade of 
light and heaxy harness. He has discon- 
tinued the manufacture of ligiit wagons, and 
has accej)ted an agency for a Western com- 
pany. He is also a special agent for the Deer- 
ing Harvester Company, and handles that 
well-known firm's line of farm machinery. In 
addition to his heavy farm wagon, he maini- 
factures hotel sleds, lumber sleds, and a very 
fine milk-wagon buckboard. He has a steam 
power plant, containing everything neces- 
sary to turn out work with dispatch. The D. 
Arthur Brown malleable boxes and the cel- 
ebrated Anchor Brand steel axles, are used 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



225 



exclusively. Mr. McGuirk also does horse 
shoeing and general blacksmithing. He em- 
ploys fifteen men in his shop, and is adding 
to his business all the time. He carries a large 
stock on hand. A personal supervision of the 
whole plant is exercised by him, and he takes 
entire charge of all branches of the business, 
besides traveling on the road, as salesman. 
Mr. jMcGuirk conducted the enterprise alone, 
until 1899, when he increased the capital 
stock, and organized the McGuirk Wagon 
Company, Limited. 

The subject of this sketch was united in 
marriage with Annie M. Canty, of Rutland, 
formerly a dressmaker. They reared four 
children, namely : Walter B., a student ; Alice 
R., also a student; Annie M. ; and Arthur R., 
who is attending school. The residence of 
Mr. McGuirk is in Mount Holly and was for- 
merly the home occupied by Dr. Chase. It is 
a beautiful and attractive place. 

Politically, Mr. McGuirk is an ardent Dem- 
ocrat. He has served his party as a delegate 
to both state and county conventions, and has 
represented it on the county conmiittee. 




LPHEUS HAYNES is a venerable 
farmer residing at Middletown 
Springs, Rutland county, Vt., with- 
in a half mile of the place where he was born, 
more than ninety-two years ago. About one 
Inmdred yards from this spot, stands the 
house where he was reared, which is over a 
hundred years old. Mr. Haynes, or Deacon 
Haynes, as he is commonly called, has lived 



a most industrious and exemplary life. He is a 
sociable and genial gentleman, and an inter- 
esting conversationalist. \Vitty and vivacious 
to a marked degree, he enjoys a joke as well 
as any one. His memory is remarkable, for 
a man of his years, and he can read well with- 
out glasses. In his long and eventful life, he 
has used no liquor, tobacco, or coffee. His 
strongest drink has been weak tea. 

Alpheus Haynes was born July 29, 1807. 
He obtained only a limited mental training in 
the district school, earnestly preferring to 
work on the farm rather than to apply himself 
to study. Se\'eral of his brothers were college 
graduates, and afterwards became profes- 
sional men. Two of them were ministers of 
the Gospel, and two, physicians. February 
29, 1832, Mr. Haynes was joined in marriage 
with Eliza M. Sunderland, a daughter of John 
and Sally (Wolcott) Sunderland. Mrs. Haynes 
had two brothers. She was born in Shore- 
ham, Vermont, in 1808. She bore her hus- 
band only one child, a son called John 
Franklin. 

John Franklin Haynes was born August 13, 
1832. He married Lucretia Leflfingwell, a 
daughter of Harvey and Abigail (Burr) Lef- 
fingwell. Lucretia was born in the village of 
Middletown Springs, March 21, 1832. Her 
father was a native of the same village. He 
vs'as born in 1808, and died at the age of 
eighty-one years. Her mother was born in 
Dorset, Vermont. She died in March, 1877, 
aged sixty-eight years. They left si.x chil- 
dren, — fom: sons and two daughters, — all of 
whom are still living. 



226 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Alplicus Haynes lias no grandchildren, but ] In 1785, he settled in Middlctowii. \'t., earlv 
his son has an adopted child, Clarence L. ' in the month of March. With the snow four 



Hayncs. Clarence L. was horn July 3, 1875. 
He is a nephew of Mrs. 1 laynes. Jr., and is still 
at home <in the farm. The subject here- 
of lost his wife March 2(). 1882. She died 
when se\-enty-three and a half years old. Mr. 
Haynes has l)een a member of the Baptist 
church since he attained the age of seventeen 
years, having been converted when twelve 
years old. He was ordained deacon in 1840, 
and has filled that office since. In politics, Mr. 
1 laynes is a Republican. He served as justice 
of the peace for man\- years, and also as select- 
man. He lacked only fifteen \-otes of being 
elected to the legislature, in a contest with a 
popidar lawxer. 

The subject of this sketch carries on gen- 
eral farming and keeps a small dairy, of 



feet deep, he \nn u\) a log Imuse. .\ better 
house was soon built, however, a half mile 
away. He served in the Revolutionary War. 
His name appears on the roll of Captain Sam- 
uel Robinson's comiiany, which is still pre- 
served. This company took an acti\e part in 
the battle of Bennington, X'ermont. In that 
battle, while the American forces were falling 
back to secure a better position, Jonathan 
Ha}-nes. Jr., was shot througii the body. A 
musket ball struck him under the left shoulder 
blade, and ])assing through his bodw came out 
at the right breast. The ball then ]iassed 
through his right arm, at tlie wrist. This 
arm was extended at the time, in the act of 
ramming do\vn a cartridge in his gun. It 
was about two o'clock when he was wounded : 



twehe cows. In addition to this, he has not long after, those who were seiU to gather 

young cattle, a fiock of shcc]i, and four good up the wounded came to Mr. 1 laynes and 

horses. Some time since, a splendid team and I offered him assistance. So assured was he 

wagon, harness, etc., were stolen from him, \ that his wound was mortal, that he refused 



and never recovered. Alpheus Haynes is a 
son of Hezekiah and Sibvl (Brown) Havnes, 



help, telling his comrades to look after those 
who could be saved. They left him. InU upon 



a grandson of Jonathrui Haynes, Jr., and a making the rounds at ten o'ckick. found him 

great-grandson of Jonathan Ha_\-nes, Sr. ; still ali\e. and tenderly cared for him. Incred- 

The Haynes familv can trace their ances- 1 ible as it seems, he recovered. It was not for' 



try back to one Jonathan Haynes, born in 



him to die, Intt to li\e, and to assist in lavins' 



England, in 1616. The first of the family who the foundations of the institutions of the to 



came to America was Jonathan Haynes, Sr.. 
great-grandfather of the subject hereof. Two 
of his brothers left luigland at the same time. 
All three settled in Haverhill, ^Massachusetts. 
Jonathan Haynes. Jr.. left Haverhill, Mass., 
and sought a home in Beimington, ^'ermont. 



Jonathan Ha^iies, Jr., li\ed many years 
afterward. ;md although not strong, he was a 
great worker, and accumulated a good deal 
of ])ropert\'. He held \arious positions of 
trust, and was chosen a deacon of the Baptist 
church. On, account of his frail health, how- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



227 



ever, he declined to serve. His death took 
place May 13, 1813, almost tliirt_y-six years 
after receiving his terrible wound, in battle. 

Hezekiah Haynes was born either in Mas- 
sachusetts, or in Bennington, Vermont. At 
an early date, he accompanied his parents to 
Middletown, A'ermont. Hezekiah Haynes 
was the inventor of the tirst wire tooth rake, 
which Alpheus Haynes helped to make. This 
was succeeded by the sulky rake. Mr. Haynes 
was joined in matrimony with Sibyl Brown, of 
Tinmouth, Xt.. a daughter of Joseph Brown, 
a deacon in the Congregational church. 
Twelve children blessed this union. Those 
wlio grew to maturity are : Achsah ; Aaron ; 
Alpheus (the subject of these lines); Arus; 
Bacchus ; Sylvanus ; Annis ; Jonathan and 
Hezekiah. Achsah was born March 11, 1804. 
She married Asa Williams, and died in James- 
town. Xew York, in 1892. when nearly ninety- 
two years old. They reared a large family. 
Aaron was born September 10, 1805, and died 
March 27. 1877, in Jamestown, New York. 
He was a Baptist minister, and, subsecjuently, 
a doctor. He had two sons and two daughters. 
Arus was born August 3, 18 10. When 
forty-one years old, on his wav home from 
Florida, he died of consumption, and was bur- 
ied at sea. He was, also, a Baptist preacher. 
Bacchus was Ijorn October 12, 18 12. He died 
in Rutland, Vt., in his seventy-seventh year. 
He was a successful physician. Sylvanus was 
born March 15, 181 5. He was also a physi- 
cian. His widow still lives in Middletown 
Springs. Annis was born February 12, 18 17. 
She spent her whole life upon the farm, 



where her birth occurred. She died while yet 
a young woman and umnarried. 

Jonathan was born January 6, 1821. He 
resides on the old farni, and appears much 
older than Alpheus, who is fourteen years his 
senior. Hezekiah died in Middletown, in 
1897, aged seventy-two years. It will be seen 
from the foregoing ancestry that Alpheus 
Haynes, himself, sustains the family reputa- 
tion for longevity. His career has been suc- 
cessful to a notable degree. In this, the eve- 
ning of his life, he loves to talk about scenes 
and associations of many years ago, — recall- 
ing to his memory even the events of his early 
youth. 




FRBERT E. PARTRIDGE, a suc- 



^n cessful, general merchant in the vil- 
lage of Mechanicsx'ille, Rutland 
county, \^ermont, was liorn at Pomfret, 
\\'indsor county, Vermont, May 12, 1857. His 
father. Edward M. Partridge, was a native of 
Braintree, Vermont. Fie descended from an 
old Yankee family of English derivation. A 
distinguished member of the family is the 
well known Captain Partridge, the founder of 
the University of Vermont. 

Edward M. Partridge was mentally trained 
in the public school, which he was permitted 
to attend but a short time ; he made the most 
of his opportunities, however, and learned 
rapidly. After leaving school, he learned the 
carpenter's trade. Ha\-ing much natural abil- 
ity in that direction, he soon became a good 
mechanic, and could turn his hand to any- 



228 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



thing ill the line oi his trade. He went west, 
to St. Pan). Mo., when that ])hice contained 
only three lionses. As the town grew, Mr. 
Partridge became an active figure in business 
circles. He was teller in the first bank there, 
and was also government land agent, until 
1856. He then returned east and enlisted at 
Randolph. \ t., in the L'nion army, in the 2nd 
Reg., V. S. Sharjjshooters. He took part in 
many conflicts, but while being transported, 
he was quite seriously injured and remained 
eight months in the hospital. 1 le never fully 
regained his health. After his convalescence, 
he was detailed to assist in the surgeon's quar- 
ters, until his time expired. After the war 
he returned to carpenter work. His marriage 
with Elmina Bruce, a daughter of Harvey 
P)ruce, resulted in the birth of three children, 
namely: Edward P>.. now a teacher in Dako- 
ta, where he also owns a ranch and farms; 
Herbert E., the subject of this sketch ; and 
Lucian ]•"., who was, at one time, a teacher 
and stock raiser in Dakota. 

The first of Herbert E. Partridge's maternal 
ancestors who came to .America, was his great- 
great-grandfather, J. F. Bruce, who, with his 
brothers, settled in the East. J- F. Bruce 
fought in the Revolutionary War, and dis- 
tinguished himself for braxery at the brittle 
of Hub1)ardton. He was taken prisoner by 
the British, and was not released until the 
surrender of Burgoyne. The maternal grand- 
father of Herbert E. Partridge, Harvey Bruce, 
was a direct descendant of Robert Bruce, the 
Scotch patriot. (For the family genealogy, 
any one interested is at liberty to write to 



Captain Harvey Bruce, of South Pomfret, 
\crmont.) 

Circumstances interrupted the educitinn 
of the subject hereof, for a time. Herbert 
v.. at once went awriv from home to work 
on a farm as clnjre bo\'. He labored for 
his board and clothes, until he was seventeen 
years old. He then began to attend school 
during the winter terms. In this wav he 
sa\'ed sufficient money from wages earned 
during the sunlmer to enable him to attend 
Green Mountain Academy. After leaving this 
institution, Mr. Partridge purchased a farm, 
which he culti\ated for fi\'e years. On account 
of ill-health, he was obliged to give up farm- 
ing. He then went to Weston, \'ermont, and 
opened a general merchandise store, as suc- 
cessor to Sprague & Richardson. He car- 
ried on a successful business there for five 
years, when his lease expired, and he pur- 
chased his present store at Mechanicsville. 

By excellent methods and strict attention to 
business his trade has increased to its present 
proportions. He now has one of the best 
stores in the town of Mount Holly. He car- 
ries in stock a large and complete line of 
everything called for in a countrv store. He 
re-built the store and has e\'erything nicely 
arrangetl. Mr. I'artridge was ai)pointed post- 
master under the present national administra- 
tion. He had, howe\er, served as deputy 
postmaster about fifteen months prior to his 
appoiiUment. In politics, Mr. Partridge is 
an aggressive Republican. He has served as 
town clerk and treasurer, since 1897. 

A singular incident occurred wdien Air. Par- 




JOHN B. BE AM AN. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



231 



tridge \oted for tlie first time. This vote was 
cast in Pomfret, for representative in the State 
Legislature. His candidate was elected by a 
majority of one. Mr. Partridge has been 
twice married. His union with Julia M. Al- 
(Irich resulted in two children. Hattie E. and 
Guy \\'. Both are students at Poultney 
Academy. The mother of these children came 
of an old and respected Rutland county fam- 
ily. She taught school for a numl)er of years. 
Some time after her death, Mr. Partridge 
contracted a second matrimonial alliance; in 
this instance Cora M. Priest, a daughter of 
Darius \\'. Priest, became his wife, and bore 
hiiu two children. Fay E., aged si.\ years; and 
Amy B., aged four years. 

The subject of this sketch is a member of 
the M. E. church, of which he is steward. He 
belongs to Colfax Lodp-e. No. 2, L O. O. P., 
of which he is now \ice grand. He is also a 
Mason. 



•OHN B. BEAMAN, a retired capitalist 
of Poultney, Vermont, whose portrait 
accompanies this sketch, is also an able 
lawyer, and practiced that profession success- 
fully, for many years, in Rutland county. 

Mr. Beaman was born in the house wdiich 
is still his home, September 13, 1819. He at- 
tended the public schools during early youth, 
and then became a pupil in the academies of 
West Rutland and Castleton, where he pre- 
pared for college. For three years, he pur- 
sued his studies in Middlebury College, and 



then entered the senior class of Union Col- 
lege (N. Y.), from which he graduated in 
1840. After reading law with Judge Howe, 
of Castleton, and E. L. Ormsbee, he was ad- 
mitted to the Rutland county bar, in 1843. 
Mr. Beaman immediately connnenced the 
practice of his profession, continuing until 
1884. During the greater portion of that 
period, lie practiced alone, but a part of the 
time, he conducted his business under the firm 
name of Beaman & Eddy, being in partner- 
ship with Charles F. Eddy. In 1875, about 
twenty-four years ago, the firm of Beaman 
& Piatt was formed, of which Air. Piatt is still 
the active member, while Mr. Beaman is, 
practically, retired. In politics, Mr. Beaman 
is a Republican, stanch and true. He served 
in the legislature in 1850 and 1852, and also 
in 1870 and 1872. He was a member of the 
constitutional convention. He is a son of 
Joel and Lydia (Brown) Beaman. 

Joel Beaman was born in Leominster, 
Mass., and went to Vermont in the spring 
of 1805. In company with others, he en- 
gaged in the manufacture of paper, of which 
he had a practical knowledge. He estab- 
lished a paper mill in Fair Haven, where he 
remained a few years. In 1808, he was joined 
in marriage with Lydia Brown, the eldest 
child of John Brown, Esquire. Soon after 
marriage, the young folk settled in Poultney, 
where Mr. Beaman purchased the public 
house still known as the Beaman House. This 
house has been retained by the family until 
the present day. Subsequently, the Ashley 
farm lands were bought by Mr. Beaman's 



232 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



father. A part of this tract is now occupied In- 
the village of East Poultney. 

About that time, Mr. Beaman sold liis in- 
terest in the paper mill and engaged in mer- 
cantile pursuits, which occupied his attention 
until the time of his death. Soon after the 
War of 1812, he purchased the Judge 
W'etherell farm. This was afterward sold to 
the Trny Conference Academy Association, 
and upon it were built the fine brick buildings 
of that flourishing school. In addition to 
hotel keeping, farming and mercantile pur- 
suits, Mr. Beaman was interested for a time 
in a woolen mill, and was also largely engaged 
in staging. For many years, he lield heavy 
mail contracts from Albany to Burlington, 
and from Rutland to Whitehall, besides on 
other and smaller routes. He would not in 
these days be considered a pushing speculator, 
but he was known as a safe business man, who 
never allowed any of his enterprises to suffer 
for lack of proper care and attention. Al- 
though eccentric in some respects, owing to 
absent mindedness as to what was passing be- 
fore him, yet lie was (|uick of observation. He 
also had a keen and ready conception, a sound 
judgment, and a most retentive memory. He 
was unpretentious and most considerate; in 
the various relations of life he was courteous 
to all. 

Joel Beaman was, also, a jniblic-spirited cit- 
izen, and was closely identified with the inter- 
ests of his adopted home. He was often called 
upon to serve in the most important 
offices of his connnunity. These offices he 
filled most capably and honestly. He served 



in the \'ermont Legislature in 1817, 1818, 
1830, 1836, and 1840. His death occurred 
March 20, 1846. He left a widow and nine 
children. One son, Jenks Beaman, was a 
West Point graduate. He died at Tampico 
on his way home from the Mexican War, in 
1848. He had participated in every battle but 
one, in that coilfhct, and tradition says he 
planted the American flag on the Castle 
d'Ulloa. Another son, Joel D., was a mer- 
chant in Poultney, Vt., and died in 1849. 
Frances H. married W. O. Ruggles, and died, 
in New York City, in 1862. Mr. Beaman's 
mother died January 31, 1867. She was much 
beloved by her family and near friends, and 
was a woman of sterling worth. 

John B. Beaman's father was a man of great 
courage and strength. This he displayed ad- 
mirably during tlie memorable flood of 181 1, 
when he and others came near losing their 
lives in trying to reach home. His comrades 
gave up all hope of escaping from their 
watery surroundings, and sought refuge in 
the branches of the trees. Mr. Beaman 
dofifed his outer garments, and placed his well- 
filled money wallet in his hat, on the top of 
his head. He then plunged into the rapid and 
angry current and swam for the shore, which 
he reached, after a desperate struggle, some 
si.xty rods 1)elow the point of starting. His 
comrades in the trees, and his anxious friends 
upon the shore were much reliex'ed at the suc- 
cess of his exploit. They thought no one 
could escape death in those turbulent waters. 

The subject of tliis sketch, his brother Cul- 
len C, and his sister Jane Beaman, are the 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



233 



only survivors of the family. They reside in 
the old home, which was, for many years, the 
principal hotel of Poultney. There, at the 
"Beaman House," as it is called, these two 
brothers and their sister entertain their num- 
erous friends quite frequently, and with genial 
hospitality. 



CDW'ARD B. RUSSELL, an octoge- 
narian, residing in a snug house in 
" East Poultney, Vermont, has fol- 
lowed various occupations during his long 
and eventful life. Like most people he has 
had his vicissitudes of fortune. Although he 
is now nearing his eighty-ninth milestone, he 
is strong and sprightly, and his mental facul- 
ties remain sound and vigorous. 

Mr. Russell was born November 21, 1810, 
in Dover, Dutchess county. New York. He 
is a son of Caleli and Parmea (Smith) Rus- 
sell. His father was born near the Hudson 
River, in Shenandoah, New York, in 1775. 
His death took place on September 6, 1830, 
at Pawling, New York. He had little or no 
education, but his wife was intelligent and 
fairly educated. His marriage with Parmea 
Smith, about the year 1797, resulted in the 
birth of tive sons and live daughters. All 
grew up, except one infant daughter. Mrs. 
Russell was a native of Pawling, New York, 
where she was born in February, 1781. The 
children who grew to maturity married and 
.reared families of from three to five children, 
each. The only surviving member of the 



family is the subject hereof, who is the sixth 
child, and third son, of his parents. One 
daughter, Sally, died at the age of eighty. 

Edward B. Russell's mother died January 8, 
1872. She lies buried in Brookfreld, Connec- 
ticut, wdiere her last years were spent with 
her daughter. She was a devout Baptist. The 
father's remains rest in the cemetery at 
Pawling. 

Mr. Russell obtained but a meager school- 
ing. He left home wdien nine years old and 
never afterward lived with his parents. In 
his ninth year his father told him to take a 
stirring stick and stir after two scythes, and 
to be sure and keep up. This he did, and 
since then he has worked at haying, every 
year, during a period of about eighty years. 

When fifteen years old, Mr. Russell began 
to learn the wagon maker's trade. He en- 
tered upon an apprenticeship with a ]\Ir. Sher- 
man, in Pawling, New York. He served thus 
for nearly three years, receiving $30 per year, 
with one month's schooling, each year. Sick- 
ness cut his apprenticeship short, and he went 
to his grandfather Smith's, in Freetown, Cort- 
land county. New York. There it was that his 
first marriage was solemnized September 22, 
1833. He was then united in matrimony with 
Electa S. Tanner, a winsome daughter of Wil- 
liam and Hannah (Curtis) Tanner, of Free- 
town. 

Mrs. Russell was born June 29, 1814, and 
was the mother of two daughters and one son. 
She died in Marathon, New York, October 
26, 1843. Her children at that time were all 
small, one, an infant son, being but ten days 



234 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



old. Tlieir names are Hannah P.; Hester L. ; 
and William W. Hannah P. died when 
twenty years old. Hester L. married E. H. 
Worcester, and resides in Cornwall, Vermont. 
She has one son and one daughter. William 
\y. is a prominent farmer, in North Granville. 
He has a wife, five children and three grand- 
children. 

July 6, 1847, ^Ir. Russell contracted a sec- 
ond marriage. Theodosia Goodwin became 
iiis wife, and assisted him to rear his children, 
whom she loved dearly. She was born in Xew 
Hartford, Conn., A])ril 5. 1814. After fifty- 
one years of connubial bliss, she died agetl 
eighty-four years. Her death took place 
August 27, 1898, at the present home of the 
subject hereof, in Poultney, and her cheering 
companionship is sadly mis.sed. 

In politics, Mr. Russell is, nominally, a 
Democrat, but votes for tlic man and not for 
the party. He never sought oflice, but served 
in minor public positions, in both New York 
and Connecticut. He was elected constable 
ten times, and then resigned. He is not a 
member of any religious denomination, but 
is a supporter, and a regular attendant, of the 
Congregational church. Air. Russell settled 
in the town of Morris, Connecticut, in 1866, 
and remained there until 1884. While there 
he owned and conducted a fine farm, and also 
worked at his trade as wagon maker. His 
priucip.al business was carried on, however, in 
East \'irgil. New York, where he employed 
five hands in wagon making. In the flood of 
1852, he lost $3,500. Pie also dealt exten- 
sively in cattle, while at East Virgil. In 1884, 




he sold his various interests and rcmused to 
his present home, in Poultney. 

I'pon the death of his beloved wife, Mr. 
Russell's children desiretl iiim to break uj) 
housekeeping and spend his closing years with 
them. l)Ut the subject of this sketch is best 
content to remain in his own home, endeared 
to bini by nianv tender associations. He has 
three great-grandchildren. 



r^ ,RS. CORNELIA J. LVON, a 
highly respected resident of Bran- 
don, \'ermont, lives in a beau- 
tiful home on I'ark street, tlie most desirable 
residence street in that beautiful village. She 
is the w i<low of the late Bradford Lyon. 

liradford L\(>n was born in \\'lii])])le Hol- 
low, West Rutland, \ ermont, and was of 
Irish descent. He was a son of Barney and 
Betsey ((ireen) Lyon. His father was a skilled 
mechanic, and made wrought iron nails bv 
hand. Bradford was the youngest of a large 
family of children. He was reared to farm 
work, and had a conunon schooling. He be- 
gan the b.ittle of life without cash capital. In 
early life, he was ;i salesman of musical in- 
struments. Later, he became a successful 
l)usiness man, and made money rapidly Ijy 
speculating in shee]). I le w as not a farmer 
but owned farms in both the I'.ast and West, — 
Illinois and Missouri. He also speculated in 
real estate, in which line he was very 
successful. 

About the year 1867 or 1868, Mr. Lyon was 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



235 



joined in marriage with Cornelia J. Seager, 
the subject of these hnes. After marriage 
the young foll< lived in North Granville, Vt., 
many years. Mr. Lyon was a great lover of 
music, and a musician of some note. He 
taught vocal music, and was choir leader of 
the Baptist church, of which he was a devout 
member. He was an active and intelligent 
man, and left a record worthy of emulation. 
His death took place in Colorado, July lo, 
1879, and he was deeply mourned by all who 
knew him. 

Cornelia J. Lyon is a daughter of Aaron 
and Rebecca (Harrison) Seager, both of whom 
were natives of Chittenden, \'ermont. Her 
mother was born April 8, 1792, and her father, 
April 26, 1794. They were married January i, 
1822, and reared four sons and four daughters. 
All ■ are still living except two daughters. 
Mrs. Lyon was the recipient of an academic 
training, in Castleton. After leaving school, 
she followed teaching for a number oi years. 
Her first school was tatight in the home dis- 
trict, when she was seventeen years old. With 
the exception of one year, during which she 
taught in Michigan, her teaching was confined 
to Vermont. She was ([uite a successful edu- 
cator and loved her profession, — taking much 
pleasure in the success of her efforts. 

After the death of her husband, Mrs. Lyon 
settled up his estate, and then returned to 
Brandon. She purchased a tine, large lot on 
Park street, a wide and beautiful thorough- 
fare. Upon this desirable site she built a com- 
fortable modern home, and is surrounded 
with every convenience. Her sister, Pamela, 



lives with her. Mrs. Lyon still retains pos- 
session of some of her western farms, in Illi- 
nois and Missouri, where her husband made 
successfid investments. 




ARTIN VAN BUSKIRK PRATT, 
a wealthy and retired merchant of 
West Pawlet, Vermont, is one of 
the most venerable and worthy citizens of 
Rutland county. Mr. Pratt was born at 
White Creek, New York. His schooling was 
limited. At sixteen years of age, he hired out 
as a farm laborer, — earning but ten dollars per 
month. He resolutely laid the foundation of 
a successful career by saving one hundred 
dollars per year, at all hazards. He next 
found occupation as hotel clerk at Buskirk's 
Bridge, for a man who also owned a general 
merchandise store at that place. He continued 
to work there for five years. 

Soon after iiis marriage, Mr. Pratt pur- 
chased a farm in Jackson, New York, where 
the young people began housekeeping. They 
remained there but two years, when Mr. Pratt 
sold out to good advantage. After locat- 
ing in Rupert, Vt., for a brief period, he went 
to West Pawlet, \\here he started a general 
merchandise store. Mr. Rising, who was his 
clerk for a considerable period, was finally as- 
sociated in business with Mr. Pratt, for a few 
years. 

After that the latter carried on the con- 
cern alone, until his retirement. His 
safe business methods assured his sue- 



236 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



cess from the start. Martin Van Bus- 
kirk Pratt is a son of Daniel H. and 
I\utli (Deming) Pratt. Daniel H. Pratt was 
a native of Connecticut, Init was brought up 
in Bennington, A'erniont. He was reared to 
mercantile life, and was an exceptionally fine 
penman, and a good accountant. He was 
a merchant for many years in Xew York, — 
at White Creek and Buskirk's Bridge. He 
was united in marriage with Ruth Deming, 
an attractive young lady. Three children 
blessed their union, namely: Samuel Dem- 
ing; Daniel 11. ; and Martin \'an Buskirk, the 
subject of these lines. Samuel Deming was 
born in 1816, and Daniel H., in 1818. The 
latter made his mark in the woi'ld as a farmer, 
and in public life. 

Martin \'an Buskirk Pratt was joined in 
wedlock with Mary Rising, a comely daugh- 
ter of Judge Simeon and Jane (Montgomery) 
Rising, respected residents of Rupert, \'er- 
mont. Mrs. Pratt has a \alual>le souvenir, in 
a fine and costly ring, li;ni(led dnwii frmn the 
Montgomery family. 

To Mr. Pratt and his most worthy wife 
ha\-e l)een born three children, as follcnvs: 
George R. ; Ennna, and Jennie. Ceorge R. 
was Ixirn in 1S54. He has a wife and two 
children. Emma married F. J. Nelson. Mr. 
Nelson deals extensively and successfully in 
horses. He makes large shipments from the 
far west, and is well known among horse 
dealers. He has one son. Jennie married S. 
N. Allen, a merclumt of North Ferrisburg, 
X'ermont. They lia\e three daughters. 

In politics, Mr. Pratt is a Democrat and 



has been a faithful servant of the people. He 
served as selectman, for eight years, and was 
in the lower house of the legislature, in 1884. 
However, he has not been an office seeker, 
nor did he desire office. 

Mr. Pratt has assisted materially in building 
up, financially and otherwise, the interests of 
the community in which he has spent so many 
years. In fact he is one of those sound and 
steadfast characters whose judgment can be 
relied on in public and private affairs. 



/'gJ^^EORGE PEPPLER, a successful 
I ^«T business man residing in Poultnev, 
X'ermnnt, lias been a furniture dealer 
in that village for a period of thirty-nine years. 
He enjoys the distinction of being the old- 
est dealer in Poultney, and has made his hand- 
some comjietency by his own individual ef- 
forts. Mr. Pei)pler is a native of Germany. 
He was born June 7, 1824, in Hesse-Darm- 
stadt, near Frankfort on the Rhine. His 
father, John Pei)pler, was born at the same 
place about 1768, and lived to the advanced 
age of ninet\-t\\o years. 

John Pepi)ler was a linen weaver, and was 
in business for himself. He married Kate 
Smith, who died when twenty-eight years old, 
leaving her son, George, motherless at the 
tender age of two years. His sister Kate, then 
fourteen years old, was a kind mother to him, 
and finall)' crossed the ocean with him, in 
1854. While still in his native country, the 
subject hereof obtained a good schooling, and 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



237 



then learned tlie trade of a cal)inetmaker. 
I'or this privilege he was obliged to pay $2y 
per year, for three years, boarding at home. 
When seventeen years of age, he was con- 
sidered a competent workman, and was em- 
ployed at his trade. The first year, he re- 
ceived one dollar and twentv-five cents per 
week, and his board. ;Vt the expiration of one 
year, Mr. Peppier went to Frankfort and 
there worked at the cabinetmaker's trade. He 
was called a good workman, but received but 
three dollars per week and his board. He re- 
mained in Frankfort two years. 

Having tra\'eled three years, as is the cus- 
tom in Germany, before entering into business 
on one's own account, he returned home. Es- 
tablishing himself in business on his own be- 
half, he continued thus until he came to Amer- 
ica. In 1847, Mr. Peppier was united in mar- 
riage with Jeannette Wagoner, his next-door- 
neighbor's daughter. Jeannette was born in 
1820, and is four years her husband's senior. 
They were reared together. She is a daugh- 
ter of Christian Wagoner, who brought up 
seven daughters and two sons. One son, 
George Wagoner, and one daughter came to 
America just nine months after the subject 
hereof and his wife crossed the ocean. They 
brought the four children of George Peppier, 
who were born in Germany. 

Mr. Peppier found employment in Gran- 
ville, Vt., for the first eight and a half years 
of his life in the New World. He then lo- 
cated in Poultney, and began business for 
himself. He worked hard at this venture for 
many years, before obtaining a good start. In 



the lueantime his wife kept boarders, and as- 
sisted her husl)and in every possible way. 
They were blessed with a large family, con- 
sisting of nine children, as follows : Chris- 
tian ; Mary ; Jane ; Charles ; John ; Henry ; 
George ; Fred ; and Emma. Christian is a res- 
ident of Xorth Adams, Massachusetts. He 
has a wife, but no children. Mary married 
John Mellen, and lives in Colorado. They have 
nine children, and several grandchildren. Mr. 
Mellen is quite an extensive farmer. Jane 
married Dan Rafiferty, of Poultney. They have 
four children. Charles is a carpenter. He has a 
wife and one son, and, also, an adopted daugh- 
ter. John dieil when twenty-eight years old, 
leaving a widow. Henry died at thirty-one 
years of age, unmarried. George died at the 
tender age of six years. Fred lost his wife, who 
was Lily New, before her marriage. She left 
an infant daughter, Freda. Freda's father also 
died in 1895, and the little one was left to 
the care of her grandmother. She is a most 
comely child of nine years, and is the joy and 
pride of her grandparents, with whom she has 
lived since the death of her mother. Her 
father left her a good property, and when of 
age, Freda will have a good dowry. Emma, 
the youngest child of Mr. Peppier, is the wife 
of Fred Hawes. 

Mr. Peppier has been a kind and liberal 
man to iiis family. He has educated them 
exceptionally well, and has spent much money 
for their welfare. He still has a fine prop- 
erty, consisting of house, shop, barn, etc., and 
owns a good, little farm of fourteen acres. Mr. 
Peppier richly deserves the respect and 



238 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



patronai;e of his friends and ncifjhbors, and is 
looked upon as one of tlie mainstays in the 
comnnniit\' in whieh lie lives. 



/ T -' il O.MAS GRIFFITH, a represenl- 
i I ative farmer in the town of Poultney, 
\'ermont, has been a resident of Rut- 
land county for more than thirty years. Mr. 
Griffith is a native of Ireland, where he was 
born, in 1825. When nineteen years of age, 
he came to America. The journey was made 
on a sailing \-essel, reaching Montreal, Can- 
ada, just one month after leaving Ireland. ]Mr. 
Grififith found employment in handling mer- 
chandise for a man whom he liked very much ; 
after working for him three months, he went 
to Stillwater, New York, and was employed 
by a farmer, at $10 per month. 

In 1848, the subject hereof was joined in 
marriage with Mary Melvin, an attractive 
daughter of John and Mary (Keyes) Melvin. 
]Mrs. Griffith is a native of Ireland, and crossed 
the ocean alone when nineteen years old, one 
year prior to her marriage. Her parents fol- 
lowed her to the land of the free, fom" years 
later, in 185 1. Soon after her marriage, the 
young folk began housekeeping in Danville, 
Vermont, where Mr. Griffith worked nine 
years, in \\'illiam Kelley's marble quarry. In 
1858, he purchased his first farm in Ham- 
den, New York, six miles from Whitehall. 
For this farm he paid cash, and had money 
left. He remained on it for nine years, — sub- 
sequently locating on his present farm in the 



town of I'dultnew \'ermont. This magnificent 
farm cost Mr. (Jriffith $8,000. He paid 
$3,000 down, and became indebted to the 
amount of $5,000. 

Mr. and Mrs. (iriffith are a most worthy, 
industrious, and prosperous couple. They 
own large and fertile farms, have reared a 
numerous family of children, and have money 
at interest. This venerable couple started out 
early in life, have worked hard, and are still 
bus\-, — as work is but a second nature lo 
them. They have brought up a family 
of children who are an honor to them, 
and of whom the_\- are justly proud. Eight 
children were Ijorn to them, and they now 
boast of sixteen grandchildren. The names 
of their children are: Edward; Peter; John 
IT; Anna; Mary; Thomas; Patrick; and 
Elizabeth. 

Edward was born January 31, 1850. He 
lived in Poultney, \'t., and was in business for 
himself when cut otT by death, at the early 
age of twenty-two years. Peter conducts a 
summer resort at Lake St. Catherine, Vt., 
where he has built up a paying business. He 
has a most interesting family of children, and 
a worthy helpmeet. John H. went to Colorado 
while still a young man. He has made a suc- 
cess of life, and now owns a fine property. He 
is married, but has no children. Anna is the 
wife of Mr. Haley, of Hoosick Falls, New 
York. Mary married Patrick Carmody. 
Thomas was a merchant, and died when twen- 
ty-six years old, unmarried. Patrick also 
lives in Colorado. Elizabeth, the youngest 
child, is the wife of Robert Leroy. She was 




Ar.BKRT \AN'\ES.S RANSOM, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



241 



educated at Fort Edward Institute, and at 
Troy Conference Academy, and spent five 
years in London, England. After completing 
her studies in the old world, she went on the 
stage, where she won both fame and fortune 
for herself. She has sung in public in both 
Europe and America, both on the stage, and 
in churches. Mrs. Leroy is now at home with 
her parents. She has a beautiful infant daugh- 
ter, Genevieve, born in July, 1899. 

Mr. and Mrs. Grifiith have performed well 
their duties in life, and success has crowned 
their efforts. It may be said of them, — "\\'ell 
done, thou good and faitliful servants, enter 
into the joy of thy Lord." 



(^Yt LBERT VANNESS RANSOM, whose 
f^A portrait accompanies this sketch, is 
^ V^ chief clerk and salesman for the Gilt- 
Edge Cheese Eactory Company, and was for- 
merly its treasurer. Mr. Ransom resides on a 
fine farm in Ransom Vale, town of Castle- 
ton, Rutland county, Vermont. He carries on 
general farming and stock raising. He gen- 
erally has from twenty to thirty fine milch 
cows. Their milk is all sent to the cheese fac- 
tory, which is only about a mile and a half 
from the farm. Mr. Ransom also handles all 
kinds of farm implements, a plentiful stock of 
which he keeps on his premises. His resi- 
dence is large, pleasant, and delightfully sit- 
uated. He also has fine barns, machine shed, 
etc., conx'eniently arranged. By wise man- 
agement, the subject hereof is enabled to 
oversee his farm, make sales of machinery, at- 



tend to his duties at the factory, and still spend 
much of the time at hcjme with his family, 
which is his chief enjoj-meut. 

Albert Vanness Ransom was born in his 
present abode, September 2^, 1855. He ob- 
tained his primary instruction in the district 
schools, and afterward attended Castleton 
Seminary. He was reared to farm life, but was 
never robust, and could not endure the toil, 
as his father and grandfather had done in 
their time. June 12, 1878, the subject of this 
record was united in marriage with Rachel 
Ann Cook. Mrs. Ransom is a daughter of 
Elihu B. and Caroline (Veile) Cook. Her 
father is a farmer of Middletown Springs, Ver- 
mont, and keeps summer boarders. She has 
one brother, Anson Howard, and one sister, 
Lydia Hill. Both are still at home. Seven 
children ha\'e been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ran- 
som, namel}-: Alliert Anson, Lillie .\lice, 
Carrie Flotilla, Orla E., Grace Elizabeth, Mar- 
ion Lefa, and an infant, Elihu Cook, whose 
birth occurred May 12, 1899. 

Albert Anson was born April 22, 1879, and 
is a robust farmer. December 21, 1898, he 
was joined in marriage with Mary Phoebe 
Fish, an accomplished daughter c^f Rev. Dana 
Fish. To them was born a child, Anna C, 
October 15, 1899. Lillie Alice was born April 
14, 1881. November 9, 1898, she was joined 
in marriage with Asa B. Cook, of Raceville, 
New York, where she now resides. They 
have a son, Albert S., born July 25, 1899. 
Carrie Flotilla was born March 24, 1886, and 
died when five weeks of age. Orla E. was 
born January 21, 1890, and died May 14, of 



242 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



the same year. Grace Elizahetli was liorn 
May 6. 1891, and Marinii Lefa's occurred 
April 16, 1894. 

The (jilt Edge Cheese Factory Company is 
an incorporation, and was estal)lished Feb- 
ruary 24. 1895. y\\-. Ransom was one of the 
founders, and served as treasurer until the 
beginning of 1899. The business is conducted 
very successfully. The subject of this biog- 
raphy is one of the leading men of his com- 
munity, but seldom goes far away from home. 
He takes jileasure, however, in having at- 
tended the great Centennial Exposition, ;it 
I'hiladeljjhia. 

.\lbcrt Vanness Ransom is a son of Albert 
.Manson and Flotilla (Pepper) Ransom, a 
grandson of Lemuel and Betsey L. ( Hickok) 
Ransom, and a great-grandson of John and 
Sallv ( W'hitiieyj Ransom. On the maternal 
side, he is a great-grandson of Benjamin and 
Constance (Hamilton) Derby, and great- 
great-grandson of Jesse Derby. 

John Ransom was a farmer in the town of 
Poultney, Vermont, and died while serving 
in the army. He wedded Sally Whitney, 
widow of Solomon Whitney, by whom he had 
one son. Her union with Mr. Ransom re- 
sulted in the birth of the following three chil- 
dren : Lemuel, David, and John. 

Lemuel Ransom married Betsey L. Hickok, 
who bore him three children, namely: Justus 
H., Sally, and Albert Alanson. Justus H. 
married Sarah Xcjrthrop. They had nine chil- 
dren, but only four reached maturity. Justus 
H. died in the village of Castleton, when 
seventy-five years old. Sally married Samuel 



Stevens. She died at the early age of thirty, 
leaving one daugiiter, Sarah Maria. Lemuel 
Ransom was a remarkable worker. He was 
born in Poultney, but in early manhood, set- 
tled in the town of Castleton. Vermont. With 
great strength and with resolute energy, he 
hewed out a home in tlie forest, and changed 
the woodland into fertile fields. His death 
occurred, February 6, 1843, as a result of 
overwork. His widow survived him until 
July 22. 1849. They were buried on the farm 
now occupied by the subject hereof, but their 
remains were afterward remo\'ed to Castleton 
cemetery. 

Albert Alanson Ransom was born upon the 
ancestral acres, in 18 12. He was united in 
marriage with Flotilla Pepper, an attractive 
lady of West Pawlet, ^'ermont. This happy 
event was celebrated, June 17, 1847, 'it \\'est 
Pawlet. Tlie young folk settled on the farm 
now occupied by the gentleman to whom this 
narrative pertains. It originally belonged to 
the Hickoks, and came into the possession of 
the Ransom family through Lemuel Ransom, 
who married a Hickok. The Hickoks were 
among the first settlers in the vicinity. Two 
children were born to Albert Alanson Ran- 
som, namely: Frances Almira, and Albert 
\'anness, of whom we now write. Frances 
Almira was born October 9, 1848. She mar- 
ried Frank J. Williams. She died May 24, 
1876, and left two sons and one daughter. 

Albert Alanson Ransom was a modest and 
retiring farmer. He inherited about seven or 
eight hundred acres of land from his father. 
He added to this vmtil he accumulated twelve 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



243 



hundred acres, which he left to Albert Van- 
ness and his sister. He died August 26, 1880, 
and was survived by his widow until May 14. 
1896, when she, too, passed away, aged sev- 
enty-four years. Both were members of the 
Baptist church, of which the mother of Albert 
Vanness had been a member since childhood. 

Jesse Derby, maternal great-great-grand- 
father of the subject hereof, had four chil- 
dren, namely : Benjamin ; Eli ; Lucy ; and 
Lydia. Benjamin Derby married Constance 
Hamilton. They reared ten children of which 
Seba, grandmother of Albert Vanness Ran- 
som, was the seventh. Seba Derby married 
Chauncey Pepper and reared the following 
eight children : Melissa ; Flotilla, mother of 
the subject hereof; Hamilton; Warren D. ; 
Julia A.; Lefa J.; John M. ; and Hiram W. 
Melissa was the wife of Allen Mills. Hamil- 
ton died at Middle Granville, when an old 
man. Warren D. resides in Glens Falls, New 
York. Julia A. is the wife of Benjamin Reed, 
in Hebron, New York. Lefa J. is the wife of 
Collins Blaisdell. John M. died in infancy, 
and Hiram W. died early, of consumption, 
leaving a widow and one daughter. 

Constance Hamilton, maternal great-grand- 
mother of Albert Vanness Ransom, was a 
great-granddaughter of Captain Sparrow, who 
came over in the Mayflower, and was the first 
white man to step on Plymouth Rock. Al- 
though not according to history, this is be- 
lieved to be veritable ; it was related to Mr. 
I^ansom's mother by Daniel Hamilton, who 
was a great-grantlson of the aforesaid Captain 
Sparrow. 



Our subject is a stanch Republican and 

has been a burden-bearer in party service ; he 
has served the town as selectman, lister, etc. 
Mrs. Ransom is a member of the Congrega- 
tional church in Castleton. 




ICHARD MARVIN SPALDING, a 
contractor in lumber and pulp wood, 
and also a teamster, in the city of 
Rutland, Vermont, has, from a modest begin- 
ning with only one team and wagon, but hav- 
ing plenty of energy and a pair of willing- 
hands, won for himself an enviable position in 
his line of work. He first began teaming in 
Rutland, more than thirty years ago, and his 
Inisiness has increased to such an extent that, 
frequently, he has been obliged to hire from 
ten to twenty men, and from six to ten teams, 
in order to fulfil his contracts. For the last 
ten or twelve years, Mr. Spalding has also 
been engaged in the manufacture of lumber, 
and getting out pulp wood. 

He has bought and sold horses in connec- 
tion with his other interests, making quite a 
neat sum in such speculations. His business 
has prospered to such a degree that he is 
now the owner of much valuable real estate 
in Rutland ; besitles his fine, modern residence 
at Number 36, South Main street, where he 
bought and settled in April, 1876, he has two 
tenement houses near by, two others on 
Center street, and a large and commodious 
barn, thirty by eighty feet, in which his various 
teams are housed. 



244 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Richard Marvin Spalding was born in 
Waitsfield. Washington county, Vermont, 
May 15. 1836, and is a son of John R. and 
AveHne (Wait) Spalding. John R. Spalding 
was born in Mooretown, Washington county, 
\'erniont, June 24, i<So5, and his death oc- 
curred March 22, 1879, in Rutland, Vermont. 
1 le was descended from an old English family, 
who came to America early in the history 
of our country. He married Aveline Wait, an 
entertaining )Oung lady, who was born 
September 10, 18 10. She was a daughter of 
Lyons Wait, familiarly known as "Squire 
Wait." and a granddaughter of old General 
Lyons Wait, for whom the town of Waitsfield, 
\'ermont. was named. The father of the sub- 
ject hereof was reared as a farmer's boy, and 
followed farming during his entire life. He 
was the owner of a tine farm in Waitsfield. 
Four sons and fi\e daughters were born to 
him and his worthy wife, all of whom grew 
to luaidioixl and womanhood, except one son, 
Richard, the first Ijorn, who died at the early 
age of two years. Two of the sons and four 
of the daughters are still among the living. 
Their names are: Lmilv, widow of Dr. Nich- 
ols, residing in Castleton, Vermont ; Richard 
Marvin, the subject of this sketch; Lois, a 
maiden lady, who makes her home with Rich- 
ard Marvin Spalding, in Rutland ; Salome, 
wife of George \'erder; Aveline, wife of Or- 
lando Worcester, of Rutl;ui(l; and John, also 
residing in Rutland. Mr. Spalding's mother 
passed across the dark river May 15, 1885, 
aged seventy-four years. 

The subject of this memoir was the recip- 



ient of a good, common school education, and 
remained at home until he attained the age of 
twenty-two years, when he married Mary 
Hopkins, an attractive young lady, of Poult- 
ney. Mr. and Mrs. Spalding have lost three 
daughters: Hattie Grace, an infant of nine 
months; ]\Iamie Grace, aged five and a half 
years ; and Hettie, aged two and a half years. 
Three of their children are still living, namely : 
Alice (wife of L. S. Houghton, a traveling 
salesman, of Rutland), who has one daugh- 
ter. Mary Reese; William H., a hardware mer- 
chant in the city of Rutland, who has one 
son, Richard Brock; and George \\ .. who is 
in business v.'-ith his father, the subject of this 
sketch. He has a wife and one daughter. Car- 
oline Achsah ; he lost one son. Cortland, aged 
si.x months. The subject hereof belongs to 
no church or socictv, belic\ing in deeds rather 
than creeds. Besides his own children, whom 
he has reared well and educated to the best 
of his ability, he has a foster daughter, whom 
he and Mrs. Spalding adopted when but seven 
years old. Her name is Jessie Davis, and at 
early age she was bereft of both father and 
mother the same dav, and was one of four 
ori^hans. She is now a bright, accomjjlished 
young lady, of high intellectual attainments, 
and, since her graduation, followed the jiro- 
fession of teaching, for two years, but is now 
a clerk in a store. 

Mr. .Spalding, hy honesty and integrity, 
and straightforward dealing in all his business 
transactions, has won the confidence of the 
])e()ple to such an extent that he can always 
conunand money for his purchases and var- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



245 



ions speculations. Numbers of good men are 
always willing to go security for him and at 
the banks his word is considered as good 
as his bond. The subject of this sketch has 
certainly had a bright and successful career, 
and is now enjoying the fruits of a life of thrift 
and diligence. The major part of the business 
is now attended to by his son, while Mr. Spald- 
ing, himself, supervises its important fea- 
tures. He is justly regarded as a leading char- 
acter in his community. 




jRS. EMILY HAYNES, widow of 
Dr. Backus H. Haynes, is one of 
those cheerful characters who 
never grow old, and, although an octoge- 
narian, is still well, active, and in full pos- 
session of all her faculties with the exception 
of her hearing, which is somewhat impaired. 
She has never been stout but has always been 
well and active. 

Dr. Backus H. Haynes was born in Rutland 
county, Vermont, in Middletown, and was a 
son of Hezekiah and Sibyl (Brown) Haynes. 
Hezekiah was a native of Rutland county, 
Vt., where he was well known as a successful 
farmer. He and his amiable wife reared nine 
of their ten children, seven sons and two 
daughters. Of this family, but two are living, 
Alpheus and Jonathan, farmers on the old 
home farm, and the one adjoining it. Dr. 
Haynes was a regular practitioner, and fol- 
lowed his profession for nine years in Wells, 
where he settled after his marriage with the 



sul)ject hereof, who was, before marriage, 
Emily McClure, of Middletown, Vt., born 
April 26, 181 7. She is a daughter of Samuel 
and Sally (Arnold) McClure. This happy 
union was consummated December 2, 1841. 
The father of Dr. Haynes was an able and 
prosperous farmer, and gave his children an 
excellent education. Two of his sons, Aaron 
and ;\rus, became ministers of the Gospel. 

Dr. Haynes began his career without finan- 
cial means, but with his thorough education 
and professional skill, his practice soon grew 
to large proportions. As a physician, he was 
well and favorably known by a large circle of 
patrons, — a reputation which he won by en- 
ergy, determination, and ability. When called 
upon to end his useful career, June 10, 1888, 
he left to his widow and three surviving chil- 
dren a good estate. Both he and his wife 
were willing workers in the Baptist church, 
where Mrs. Haynes still worships. They set- 
tled at Number 55, \Vest street, in 1862, where 
the Doctor's death occurred. 

Mrs. Haynes' father followed agricultural 
pursuits and reared nine of his ten children, — • 
six sons and three daughters, — all of whom 
are now deceased except Mrs. Haynes and a 
younger brother, Warren McClure, who lives 
in the state of Washington. The paternal 
grandfather of Mrs. Haynes was James Mc- 
Clure, a prosperous farmer of Middletown, 
Vt., where both grandparents are now sleep- 
ing. His wife was, before marriage, Patty 
McCladdin. Both families were of Scotch 
birth, and upon coming to America, settled in 
Norwich, Connecticut. 



246 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Mrs. Haynes is the niotlicr of seven cliil- 
dren : two of them died in infancy, and the 
following' two lia\e since died : Sarali A., wlio 
loecame tlie wife of C. F. Spaulding, of New 
London, Conn., wliere she died at twenty- 
seven years of age, leaving one son ; and Eme- 
iine L., who died at tlie early age of four 
years. Those still living are: Ennna. who re- 
sides with her aged mother, in Rutland, where 
she formerly followed teaching ; Joseph 
Henry, of Athenia, N. J., where he has a wife, 
and one daughter; Georgia K., wife of Frank 
K. Davison, of Rutland. Georgia K. has one 
little son. Knowlton K.. and one daughter, 
Emily, a beautiful and precociou!} child, of 
three years. Surrounded by these loved ones. 
Mrs. Haynes is spending the sunset of life in 
peace and happiness, tranquilly awaiting the 
summons to join her beloved departed on the 
l)eaceful shore of the hereafter. 



/^JJ*^EORGE \V. KEXXEY, JR.. super- 
I ^^-r intendent of the rolling stock of the 
Rutland Railroad, resides in a neat, at- 
tracti\e home, at Xumber 37, Prospect street, 
Rutland, N'crmont. Mr. Kenney has spent 
man_\- years in the railroad service, and has 
been in turn, fireman, engineer, and master 
mechanic. He was born in Guilford, Windham 
county, Vt.. February 14, 1845. After pass- 
ing through the conmion schools, he finished 
his education at W'eatherstield .\cadenqy. In 
1863, he enlisted in the L'nion arniv as a mem- 
ber of Company G, 17th Reg., Vt. Vol. In- 



fantry. — serving until the close of the wan 
He entered the army as a ])rivate. and was 
honorabh- discharged as a corporal. He tcjok 
an active part in fourteen battles, — from the 
battle of the Wilderness to Appomattox Court 
House, where Lee surrendered to Grant. April 
9, 1865. In front of Petersburg, the i7lh 
X'ermont regiment suffered sex'erely, and was 
reduced to tiftv-four men. After the war. Mr. 
Kenney began his railroad career, as a com- 
mon fireman. He worked five years in that 
capacity for the Rutland Railroad and was 
then promoted to be engineer, and continued 
thus for fifteen years. In 1882, he was still 
further advanced by l)eing appointed di\ision 
master mechanic, at White Ri\er Junction, — 
serving as such for nine years. In i8()i, he 
was assigned to similar duty in Rutland, which 
he performed until May. 1896. He was then 
appointed to his jiresent res])onsible jiosition. 
George W. Kenne\-. Jr.. is a son of George 
W.. Sr.. and Roxana (Tyler) Kenney, and a 
grandson of Erastus Kenney. Erastus Ken- 
ney was an extensive stock breeder, and made 
a specialty of shee]5 raising. He was one 
of the largest wool growers of his day. Pie 
li\e(l to l)e considerably more than ninetv 
years old. llis wife died a few \ears prior to 
his decease. She was a most worthy woman, 
;uid lived to quite a venerable age. George 
W. Kenney. Sr.. was born at Halifax, 
X'erniont, in 1812. He died July 17. 
1899. I lis w idow, who is two years his junior, 
is strong, acti\'e, and well ])reser\-ed. This 
worths' coujjle had journeyed together, side 
by side, since their marriage, in 1832. Mr. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



247 



Kenney was superintendent of the soap stone 
quarries in ^^'eathersfleld Vermont, for many 
years. To them were born ten dangliters and 
tliree sons, all of whom grew to noble man- 
liood and womanhood. All are still living, ex- 
cejjt two sons and two daughters. In 1878, 
a reunion of the familv occurred, when all the 
surviving" members came together. -It was a 
notable and joyous occasion. Tlic suliject of 
this sketch is now the only living son. His 
brother John B. served in the Civil ^\'ar, as 
a member of the 4th Reg., Vermont Infantry. 
He enlisted as a private, ami came back a lieu- 
tenant. He served three years, re-enlisted, 
and continued in the army until the close of 
the war. Throughout the conflict he escaped 
personal injury, with the exception of a slight 
wound. He died at the age of fifty-three 
years and left a wife and three children. 
Henr\-, the other brother of the subject hereof, 
was unmarried, and died when only twenty- 
one, or twenty-two, years old. 

Mr. Kenney has been twice married. \\'hen 
twenty-two years of age, he was united in 
matrimony with INIyra H. BufYum, of Dorset, 
Vermont. To this union were l)orn four chil- 
dren, namely : George K. ; Fred B. ; Lulu D. ; 
and Lowell D. George K. resides in Rutland. 
He is an engineer on the Rutland Railroad. 
Fred B. is also an engineer on the same rail- 
road. Lulu D. is a young lady of pleasing per- 
sonality and sound judgment, and is still at 
home. Lowell D. is a student, and, also, a 
member of the home circle. This family 
group is unbroken, save by the death of the 
beloved mother, which took place December 



26, 1887, when she was forty-one years old, 

Mr. Kenney's second marriage was con- 
tracted with Lavinia P. Buffum, his first wife's 
only surviving sister, who still presides over 
his household. Lavinia is a daughter of 
Heman A. and Almira Buft'um. Her parents 
were third cousins, and are both deceased. 
They reared three sons and three daughters. 
Two of the brothers are still living. They are : 
Myron, of Fall River, Mass., and Ozro Or- 
lando, a prominent farmer of Manchester, 
\'ermont. Mr. Kenney was a cliarter mem- 
ber of Lincoln Post, G. A. R., at White River 
Junction, Vermont, and held all the offices of 
that organization. He served on the stafT of 
the commander-in-chief, Mr. Lawler. He is 
now the present commander of Roberts Post, 
Mr. and Mrs. Kenney are both active mem- 
bers of the Congregational church. They 
settled in their present comfortable and pleas- 
ant home, in 1891, where they frecjuently en- 
tertain their many friends with genial cour- 
tesy and kindly hospitality. 



B 



AN D. BURDITT, subject of our 
sketch, a resident of the town of 
Pittsford, Rutland county, is a son 
of Franklin and Susan E. (Dike) Burditt, a 
grandson of Asher and ]\Ielinda (Davis) Bur- 
ditt, and great-grandson of Ebenezer and 
Ruth (Loveland) Burditt. 

Ebenezer Burditt was born in Lancaster, 
Massachusetts, in 1761, and his early life was 
spent upon a farm. At the beginning of the 



248 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Re\'olutionai"v War lie and a hrotlier enlisted 
and served on a privateer wliicli soon cap- 
tnrcd a Britisli sliip that had been preying on 
our commerce. Tlie tropliy was lost, how- 
c\er. as the magazine exploded w hen llic vic- 
tors were about to board her, and, with all 
but twelve of her crew, she sank to rise no 
more. At the close of the war, the jjrothers 
returned home, Ebenezer soon marrying Ruth 
Loveland, of Gilsum, N. H., and settling there. 
Ten children were liorn to them, viz. : Ebe- 
nezer, Asher, Abel, Israel, Amos, David, Gil- 
man, Ruth, Mary, and Charlotte. 

Asher Burditt, Dan D.'s grandfather, was 
born March 31, 1788, and died at the age of 
sixty-seven. March 24, 1814, he wedded Me- 
linda Davis, of Chester, Vermont, and the fol- 
lowing year located in Pittsford, \'ermont, 
on the farm later owned by his son. Ransom. 
In 1846, he ]iurchased the Harris Bogue farm, 
which is now owned liy Dan D. They had 
si.x children, — Charlotte, Melinda, Harriet, 
Ransom, Franklin, and Susan. This wife died 
in 1832, and he married Damaris C. Deming 
for a second. 

I'ranklin T^)Urditt, Dan D.'s father, was born 
in Pittsford, Vt., August 18, 1826. October 
14, 1841), he married Susan Elmira Dike, born 
May 28, 1825, and a native of Stockholm, N. 
Y. They settled on the Harris Bogue farm, 
and Mr. Burditt soon became one of the most 
thrifty farmers in the town. They had five 
children. Dan D. ; Susan E. (wife of J. A. 
Gould), deceased in 1876; Asher, of Pittsford; 
William F. ; and Edwin D., of Rutland. The 
father's death occurred at the home place in 



1876. The mother is still living, active in 
l)ody and mind. 

Dan D. Burditt was born November 15, 
1850, on the farm which is still his home. He 
received a liberal business education, and that 
he has made a practical application of same, 
is indicatetl l\v his prosperity. At twenty 
\ears of age, he began his career by engaging 
to work on salar\- for one year in the grist mill 
of John Stevens, of Pittsford. When twenty- 
one years old, the firm of Burditt & Son suc- 
ceeded Mr. Stevens in the milling business. 
Upon the death of his father, five years later, 
he bought tliis liusiness. also his father's real 
estate. About two years later he sold the mill 
to his brother Asher and turned his attention 
to farming. 

June 13, 1877, Mr. Burditt was joined in 
marriage to Minnie, daughter of Alvin H. 
Mason, of Swanton, \'t. Five children are the 
result of this marriage, namely: Susan M., 
Carrie M.. Harold M., Minnie M., and Dan 
D., Jr. :\Irs. Burditt died February 8, 1898. 
Her ready sympathy, her varied intelligence 
and her liberal and progressive spirit endeared 
her to the entire connnunity, and her death 
is looked upon as a personal loss by a large 
circle of friends and acquaintances. 

Mr. Burditt is a representative farmer, 
stock dealer, and merchant ; and is one of the 
most successful business men in the town of 
Pittsford. .\lthough still a young man, he 
has already accumulated a fine property. He 
is a man of force and energy, of action rather 
than words, and drives his business instead of 
allowing his business to drive him, In 1891 








OLIX G. DYKR, M. D. 




ANDERSON DANA DYER, M. D., A. M. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



253 



a large mercantile business was established in 
Rutland, \'t., under the iinn name of Burditt 
Brothers. In 1896 they received a visit from 
the fire fiend, their large brick block being 
burned with about 90 carloads of feed and 
grain. In just ninety days after the fire, the 
firm was doing business in their new build- 
ing which is larger and more connuodious 
than the old. 

Mr. Burditt's fine farm contains 1,000 acres 
of land upon which he carries on general 
farming. In 1895 two large barns on the 
iiome farm were 1)urned to the ground. Just 
four weeks later a barn. 100 feet long by 75 
feet wide, with all modern conveniences, had 
been erected and stood ready for the new hay 
crop. 

The esteem in which he is held by his towns- 
men is indicated by the various town offices 
he has held. He is trustee and vice-president 
of the Proctor Trust Company, also vice- 
president of the First National Bank of 
Brandon. 




LIN G. DYER, M. D., one of the old- 
est and most highly honored general 
practitioners of Brandon, Rutland 
county, Vermont, was born in Clarendon, 
Vermont, December 5, 1822. He worked on 
his father's farm until he attained the age of 
fifteen years, when his father became a mer- 
chant in Salisbury, Vermont. From force of 
circumstances, his father having met with 
severe losses in business, our suljject was un- 
able to pursue a classical course of study, but 



nevertheless succeeded in supplementing a 
good common school education with an acad- 
emic course in Poultney, Vermont. After 
teaching a few years, during which period he 
commenced the study of medicine under the 
preceptorship of the late Dr. Moses H. Ran- 
ne\-, who afterwards won distinction in New 
York City as a specialist in mental diseases, 
he was enabled to attend Castleton Medical 
College, then one of the most flourishing med- 
ical institutions of the day, from which he was 
graduated with the highest honors in June, 
1844. In the following year he began the 
practice of his chosen profession in Lexing- 
ton, Richmond county, Ohio, where he re- 
mained a little over a year. He then returned 
to Salisbury, Vermont, and took the place of 
his preceptor, Dr. Moses H. Ranney, who at 
that time went to New York City, and as- 
sumed charge of an insane asylum ; for fifteen 
years Dr. Ranney was superintendent of that 
institution. After practicing five years in Sal- 
isbury, Dr. Dyer, in September, 185 1, re- 
moved to Brandon, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, at the earnest solicitation of the late Dr. 
A. G. Dana, a leading physician of that vil- 
lage to become that gentleman's associate in 
practice. Two years later the health of Dr. 
Dana failed, and the partnership was dissolved 
by mutual agreement, — Dr. Dyer continuing 
the practice alone until 1870. In that year 
he took in Dr. F. W. Page as a partner, and 
they practiced together until 1878, when Dr. 
Page removed to Boston. Previous to locat- 
ing in Brandon, he went to New York City, 
and spent one winter there, visiting several 



254 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



hospitals, and gaining much valuable expe- 
rience from association witJi his old precep- 
tor, Dr. Kanney. Dr. Dyer located in Bran- 
don o\cr forty-eight years ago and has resided 
in the same house ever since. 

In August, 1846, Dr. Dyer was united in 
marriage with Anna Gaines Holt, daugiiter 
of Amos and Anna (Gaines) Holt, of Pitts- 
field, Vermont. Mrs. Dyer died in 1891. 
Four children blessed the home of Dr. and 
Mrs. Dyer, as follows: Anna Amelia; Flor- 
ence Holt ; Charles Olin ; and Anderson Dana. 
Anna Amelia was born June 6, 1847, and mar- 
ried Dr. F. \V. Page, who resides in Boston, 
where Mrs. Page died, without issue, in 1893. 
Florence Holt was born August 23, 1849, ^"tl 
became the wife of (ieorge N. Talliot ; four 
of her five children arc still living. Charles 
Olin, born h^bruary 22, 1852, was a clothing 
merchant in Waterbnry, Conn,, and died in 
1899, while his father was taking a trip to 
the Holy Land. 

Anderson Dana Dyer, M. D., A. M., was 
born h""ebruary 5, 1859. He was educated in 
Burlington, \^ermont, and at Bellevue Med- 
ical College of New "^'ork City. He first prac- 
ticed iiis profession in Denver, Colorado, but 
was later associated with his father in prac- 
tice in J^jrandon, until his career was cut off 
by death April it, 1886. He was a promis- 
ing young physician and made a good record 
in his profession. 

Dr. Olin G. Dyer belongs to no secret or- 
der. In his religious affiliations, he is a mem- 
ber of the Congregational church. In poli- 
tics, he is a Republican. He held the posi- 



tion of examining surgeon for pensions from 
1865 to 1884. The home of Dr. Dyer was 
built nearly one hundred years ago. It was 
once the Congregational ])arsonage. The 
Doctor has thoroughly changed and modern- 
ized it, however, so that it has a nnich more 
youthful a])pearance than its age would in- 
dicate. Its fine lawns, with beautiful hydran- 
geas and fountains, and the rich marble cop- 
ing of 100 feet frontage, add nnich to the ap- 
pearance of the i)lace, \\hich is one of the 
most desirable in Brandon. Dr. Dver also 
owned at one time a farm near the village, 
which he sold as it was only a care and ex- 
pense to him. 

Dr. Dyer's i)aternal grandfather, Daniel 
Dyer, was a prosperous farmer in Clarendon, 
Rutland county, \ erniont. lie married .Susan 
Olin, of Shaftesbury. \'ermont. Both the 
Dyer and Olin families were noted for wealth, 
longevity and bra\'ery. Our sul)ject's grand- 
mother was quite a business woman. She 
was considered a heroine for making a haz- 
ardous journey on horseback, with a large 
sum of monej'. Dr. Dyer's great-aunt, I>ydia 
Dyer, now the widow Briggs, is well-pre- 
served at ninety-four years of age. Daniel 
and Susan (Olin) Dyer reared ten children, 
one of whom was Gideon, our subject's 
father. 

Gideon Dyer was born in 1787, in Clar- 
endon, Vermont. He was twice married. His 
union with Betsey Reynolds, who died in 
1833, at the age of forty-three years, resulted 
in the birth of five children. Gideon Dyer 
ha(;l two children by his second marriage. He 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



255 



died about the year i860, aged seventy-three 
years. Dr. Dyer's parents reared but four of 
the five children born to them, namely : Sarah 
Ann, who survived her husband. Rev. John 
H. Beckwith, many years and died in ad- 
vanced life, leaving two sons; Mrs. Elizalieth 
Weeks, of Brandon, Vermont, now an octoge- 
narian ; Olin G., subject of these lines; and 
Reynold, who was accidently drowned when 
fifteen years old. 

Dr. Dyer deserves great credit for his suc- 
cess in life. He rose by his own efforts. As 
a man, he is held in ^he highest esteem, and 
is above reproach. As a physician, he ]ios- 
sesses in a rare degree that intuitive knowl- 
edge of disease, that has rendered him so re- 
markably skilful and uniformly successful that 
he is regarded by all as the leading medical 
man in Brandon and vicinity. 

The publishers of this work take pleasure in 
announcing that portraits of Olin G. Dyer, 
M. D., and of his son. Anderson Dana Dyer, 
M. D., A. ]\I., are presented on foregoing 
])ages in proximity to this. 



(^UDGE7AMES BARRETT, now, prac- 
tically, a retired citizen of Rutland, 
\'ermont, is one of the most highly 
honored and esteemed citizens of Rutland 
county, and has led a most remarkable career. 
He was born on May 31, 18 14, in Strafford, 
Orange county. Vermont, and although near- 
ing his eighty-fifth year, is a remarkably well- 
preserved man. Judge Barrett has been a res- 
ident of Rutland since April i, 1882, when he 



settled in the modest home where he and his 
beloved companion have lived for the past 
sixteen years, and are now in the decline of 
life. Although the Judge's sight has been fail- 
ing for a short period, his memory is not only 
a source of comfort and pleasure to him, but 
enables him to give valuable counsel and ad- 
vice to others. His recollection of occur- 
rences and details is marvelous; he can read- 
ily give day and date of events and incidents 
that transpired away back through the many 
years of his busy and eventful life. 

The progenitor of the Barrett family in 
America was one James Barrett, who was born 
in England, in 161 5, came to America about 
the year 1635, and was one of the earliest set- 
tlers of Charlestown, Massachusetts. His son, 
James, was the next in line and was born in 
Maiden, Mass., in 1644. Among the latter's 
children was Jonathan, who was born in 
Charlestown, Mass., in 1678, and who, also, 
named his son Jonathan, who was born in 
1699. His son, Benjamin, was the great- 
grandfather of the subject hereof and was born 
in Framingham, Mass., in 1726; his son, 
James, was the next in line of ancestry. 

James Barrett, grandfather of the subject 
hereof, was born in Framingham, Mass., and, 
when grown to manhood, followed agricul- 
tural pursuits. He took for his life compan- 
ion Elizabeth Hibbard, of Windham, Con- 
necticut. She was born in May, 1760. Their 
union was blessed with three sons and two 
daughters. James Barrett died in Strafford, 
Orange county, Vt., May 13, 1813, his widow 
survived him many years, — dying May 8, 
1854, at the age of ninety-four years and two 



256 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



days. One of their sons was Martin Barrett. 

Martin Barrett, father of the subject hereof, 
was born in Stafford, Conn., August 26, 1784. 
He chose to work in the niacliine business, 
whicli lie learned without serving an appren- 
ticeship, and followed it for many years. The 
whole of his active life was spent in his na- 
tive city, and his business grew to be quite 
extensive. He was looked upon as an influ- 
ential citizen and was a legislative representa- 
tive of the town, for many terms. He also 
served as justice of the peace for about fifteen 
years. He began life without any financial 
means, and although he enjoyed an extensive 
trade, he ne\'er accumidated wealth. His 
death occurred February 15, 1874. Both he 
and his wife were buried at Stafford, Connec- 
ticut. Mrs. Barrett was, before marriage, 
Dorcas Patterson. She was born in Henni- 
ker. X. H.. in October, 1788. Her marriage 
with Martin Barrett was consummated July 
3, i(So<S, and her death took place on Febru- 
ary 8, 1831. She bore her husband ten chil- 
dren, seven of whom grew to maturitv; the 
oidy surviving ones are Judge Barrett and 
his youngest sister, Betsey, who resides in 
Honesdale, Pa., and is known as the widow 
Allen. As Judge Barrett's mother died 
early. — in her forty-third year, — liis father 
married again, and hatl one daughter by his 
second wife. 

Judge Barrett was reared to the carding and 
clothing business at home, until he attained 
the age of eighteen years. He then took a 
preparatory course at Randolph Academy, 
and, in 1833, entered Dartmouth College, 



from which he graduated, in 1838. He then 
spent one year in Buffalo, X. V.. reading law. 
and on .\ugu.st 2, 1839. became a law student 
with Charles Marsh, in Woodstock, \'t., 
where he continued his studies until 1840; he 
was then admitted to the bar of Windsor 
county. He immediately began the practice 
of his profession in Woodstock, \'ermont, 
continuing for many years. In X^ovember, 
J 857, he was elected judge of the Sui)reme 
Court of \'ermont. and tilletl that honorable 
position for a period of twenty-tluee years. In 
December, 1880, Judge Barrett retired from 
the bench and resumed his practice in Wood- 
stock, where he enjoyed a lucrative patronage, 
until 1882. At that time Judge Barrett re- 
moved to his present home in Rutland, enter- 
ing into the practice of law, with his son, 
James C. The partnership between father and 
son continued until the latter's death, in 1887, 
at the earl\- age of thirty-five years. Judge 
Barrett's eyesight gradually began to fail 
about iXgo, or 1891, and since then as he 
could not read books, he closed his office, and 
retired from practice. 

On September J^. 1844. Judge Barrett led 
to the altar IMaria L. Woodworth, of South 
Coventry, Connecticut. Mrs. Barrett was 
born Sejjtember 25, 1822. and is a daugjiter 
of Simeon and Maria (.\rnold) Woodworth. 
Her ])arents had two daughters, one of whom 
is now widow Kt-ndrick. of Lebanon, X''ew 
Hampshire. Mrs. I'arrett's mother died in 
1832, and her father married ag;iin. rearing 
one son, w ho is also deceased. Judge Barrett 
and his most estimable wife have lost five chil- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



257 



dren, namely: Tlieir first-born, Charles; 
Marsh, who died at the early age of nine years ; 
Dorcas Maria, who died at the age of two 
years; James C, who, having graduated from 
Dartmouth College in 1S74. and having 
opened a law office, in July, 1877, in Rutland 
(where he was joined by his father as before 
mentioned), died, in 1887, leaving a widow 
and two children ; Mary Barrett, who died in 
1892; and Laura S., the youngest daughter, 
anti a talented lady who graduated from Smith 
College, in 1891, and tlied in 1893. 

Judge Barrett and his wife have four chil- 
dren living to comfort their declining years. 
Their names are: Elizabeth, wife of Lewis W. 
Hicks, of Hartford, Conn. ; Rush Palmer, who 
is a widower with one child and resides in 
Rutland, and vvho was educated as a lawyer, 
but on account of failing health, gave up that 
profession ; John Arnold, who lives in New 
York City, and has a wife and two daughters ; 
and Rev. Samuel Allen, pastor of the Con- 
gregational church, in East Hartford, Conn., 
who has three children, — two sons and one 
daughter. Judge Barrett gave each of his 
sons a fine education and they chose their 
own vocations in life. In politics, the Judge 
follows the leadership of the Republican party. 
He was one of the senators from Windsor 
county, Vt., in 1884 and 1885. He was state's 
attorney of the same county from 1854-1856. 
The degree of LL. D. was conferred on him, 
in 1865, by Middlebury College. Mrs. Bar- 
rett is a devout member of the Congregational 
church, and contributes freely toward its 
support. 



The subject of this sketch possesses a great 
fund of information, and sterling good sense, 
and his influence in the community has been 
felt in many ways. On the social side of his 
nature, he manifests all those characteristics 
which win and hold the friendship of all who 
come within their S])here of activity. 




EV. EDWIN M. HAYNES, D. D. 



resides at his comfortable, at- 
tractive home, Number 38, Grove 
street, has been a resident of Rutland since 
1887, and although he has no regular charge 
he occasionally fills various pulpits. He is 
also the chaplain of the House of Correction, 
at Rutland. Dr. Haynes was born in Con- 
cord, Mass., April 12, 1836, and is a son of 
Elnathan and Sarah (Wheeler) Haynes. 

EInathan Haynes was born in Sudbury, 
Mass., about 1793, or 1795. Mr. Haynes was 
known as a progressive farmer, as was his 
father before him. He was joined in marriage 
with Sarah Wheeler, an accomplished young 
lady of Sudbury, where their marriage was 
consummated about 1830. After marriage 
they lived at Concord, then at Harvard, and 
later at Shirley, Massachusetts. 

Eight children blessed their home, five 
sons and three daughters, four of whom are 
now living, — two sons and two daughters ; 
two sons were killed in the Civil War. The 
sons living are : Edwin M. ; and Myron W., 
D. D., who is a graduate of Madison Univer- 
sity, and has been a pastor in Chicago during 



258 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tlie last ten years ; Dr. 'SI. \V. Ilaynes is now 
pastor of the Belden Avenue Bai)tist church, 
Chicago. Both parents are dead. 

Edwin M. Haynes graduated in 1857 from 
the I'niversity of Rochester, Xew York, and 
was ordained a minister of llie Cjospel, in \\"al- 
lingford, \'erniont. wliich was his first cliarge. 
In September. 1862, 1 )r. Ha\nes volunteered 
as cliaphiin of llie Tenth \'ermont Regiment, 
and was in tlie service two years and seven 
months. He was witli his regiment in e\ery 
engagement, and liad some narrow escapes 
and close calls from the missiles of death, — 
even had iiis liorse wounded under him. Re- 
turning from the war, Dr. Haynes was chosen 
pastor at Palmer, where he remained five 
years; his next pastorate was at Lewiston. 
Maine, where he also remained five years. 
The following nine years he was pastor of the 
Baptist church at Whitehall, N. Y., and then 
spent six years at ]\Ieadville, Pa., which was 
his last regular charge, although he preached 
four months in Chicago. He then (1887) set- 
tled at his jiresent home at Xumher 38, Crox-e 
street, which was then owned by the late 
Judge David Nicholson, Mrs. Haynes' father, 
who built the house an<l li\ed there until his 
death, in May, 1892. aged seventy-eight 
years, being tenderly cared for in his declining 
years by his daughter. 

Dr. and Mrs. Haynes ha\e been blessed 
with three children, two sons and one daugh- 
ter, of whom they are extremely proud. Their 
names are: David Xicholson, a lawvcr in 
Boston, Mass., for many years, now a mem- 
ber of a broker firm ; Kitty, wife of F. N. Ray- 



mond, a merchant of Franklin, Pennsylvania ; 
and Xed Clarke, a newspaper rei)orter on the 
"Kutland Evening X'ews." 

Tiie Doctor is a member of the G. A. R., 
and also of the Loyal Legion, and served on 
the stalT of General ^\'alker, connnander-in- 
chief in 1896-97. 

In addition to being an able and eloquent 
e.Npounder of the principles of Christianity, 
Dr. Haynes is an author of some note, having 
]niblished several works; the largest of these 
is "History of the Tenth \'ermont Regiment," 
containing 600 octavo jjages with 60 engrav- 
ings. The Doctor was on the school commit- 
tee w ith Senator Frye and the late Represent- 
ative Dingley. in Lewiston, Maine, while a res- 
ident of that city. He received his degree of 
D. D. from Dartmouth College, in 1885. 




^ j.'A'. HERBERT A. DL'RFEE. D. D., 
principal of the Troy Conference 
Academy at Poultnev, Vermont, 
has held that important position since 1897. 
Though not a robust man.^physicalh', he has 
labored with a zeal and earnestness not to be 
measured by his bodily strength, and in all 
the departments of his work has exhibited 
marked ability; he is indefatigable in his 
la])ors and absorbed in the duties of his posi- 
tion. He was born in Cambridge, Washing- 
ton county, Xew ^'ork. June 24. 1856. and is 
a son of Abram and Jemima (Hogle) Durfee, 
grandson of Abraham and Mehitabel (Potter) 
Durfee, and great-grandson of Earl Durfee. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



259 



Earl Diirfee was born October 27, 1757, 
and was of the fourtli generation from Thomas 
Diirfee, the first ancestor of the Durfee fam- 
ily in America. Thomas Durfee was born in 
Portsmouth, England, in 1643, ^"^ came to 
America in young manhood, in 1660, settling 
in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in 1664. His 
children by his first wife numbered six, as fol- 
lows : Robert ; Richard ; Thomas ; William ; 
Ann ; and Benjamin. His second wife was 
Deliverance Hall, who bore him two daugh- 
ters : Patience and Deliverance. 

Thomas Durfee, third son of the first 
Thomas Durfee, was born in Portsmouth, 
Rhode Island, in i66g. Job Durfee, a son of 
the second Thomas Durfee, was born in Ports- 
mouth, Rhode Island, in 1710. Gideon Durfee, 
son of Job Durfee, was born February 15, 
1738. Earl Durfee, great-grandfather of our 
subject, was a son of Gideon Durfee. 

Abraham Durfee, son of Earl Durfee, and 
grandfather of Rev. Herbert A. Durfee, was 
born June 10, 1777, in South Cambridge. 
New York. He married Mehitabel Potter, of 
Granville, N. Y., and his family of twelve chil- 
dren, all of whom grew to maturity, consisted 
of seven daughters and five sons. One daugh- 
ter died in early womanhood. Maria, another 
daughter, is a maiden lady, residing in Green- 
wich, New York ; she is about eighty years of 
age. Abraham Durfee died in his eightieth 
year, having been a widower for about a year. 
The remains of Abraham Durfee and his wife 
Mehitabel rest in a burying ground at Delan- 
son, New York, — in their day Delanson was 
known as Quaker street. 



Abram Durfee, our subject's father, was 
born in Delanson, Schenectady county. New 
York, .\ugust 8, 181 5. He followed farming 
pursuits, as did his father and grandfather be- 
fore him. On March 14, 1843, l^e was joined 
in matrimony with Jemima Hogle, who was a 
native of Schaghticoke, Rensselaer county, 
New York, where her parents lived and died. 
Soon after the marriage, our subject's parents 
moved from the old home to South Cam- 
bridge, New York, settling on a farm there, 
which continued to be their home the remain- 
der of their lives. Abram Durfee died in 
1893, while his wife passed away, in 1891, at 
Johnsonville, where she was paying a visit; 
their remains rest in the Greenwich cemetery. 
Four sons and four daughters were born to 
them, namely : Merritt P. ; Eugene F. ; Henry 
M. ; Mary E. ; Elmina A. ; Herbert A., subject 
of these lines ; Sarah E. ; and Emma F. 

Merritt P., the eldest child, was born in 
1844, and died in Bushkirk, New York, in 
1897 ; he was a farmer and left one son and two 
(laughters. Eugene F., who was born in 1846, 
also followed farming, and has one daughter. 
Henry M. was born in 1848. Mary E. is the 
widow of Charles Aikin ; she has one son and 
one daughter and resides in Greenwich, New 
York. Elmina A. was born in 1854, and died 
in 1889. Sarah E., born in i860, is the wife 
of Jedd Campbell, of South Cambridge, New 
York, and has three sons. Emma F., who was 
bcrn in 1864, is the wife of Joseph Dillon, of 
Greenwich, New York. 

Herbert A. Durfee was reared to agricul- 
tural pursuits, which he followed until he 



260 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



readied the age of eighteen years. He re- 
ceived his education in the puhHc and high 
schools of Grcenwicli, New York, tlicn at- 
tended the Troy Conference Academy, and 
finally took a course in the W'esleyan Univer- 
sity at Middletown, Connecticut. Dr. Dur- 
kee's first charge was at North Creek and 
North River, Warren county. New York, 
where he was located in 1882 and 1883. In 
1884 and 1885 he was stationed at Newton- 
ville, New Yt)rk. Tn 1886, 1887 and 1888. 
he ministered to a charge at Slinger- 
land, New York. The following four years 
his charge was at Hoosick Falls, New York, 
and in 1893, 1894, 1895 and 1896, he was at 
Fort Edward, New York. In 1897, Dr. Dur- 
fce was chosen ])rincipal of the Troy Confer- 
ence Academy, to fill the vacancy caused by 
the resignation of Dr. Dunton, and has shown 
in many marked ways his fitness for the posi- 
tion hy his work in the ])ast three years. Our 
subject is a Royal Arch Mason, and a member 
of the Psi Upsilon, college Greek letter fra- 
ternity. 

On October 18, 1882, Dr. Durfee was 
joini'il in marriage with Annie R. ]\Iott, of 
Toultnev, \'ermont. Six cliildren have blessed 
their union, as follows: Bessie M., born in 
North Creek, New York, in 1883; Alice M., 
born in Newtonville, New York, in 1885; 
Annie, born in Slingerland, New York, and 
died when five months old; Helen M., born in 
Hoosick Falls, in 1890; Ruth, born also in 
Hoosick Falls, in 1892; and Herbert A., born 
in ]'o\iltney, \^ermont, in 1897, who is the 
only son. Mrs. Durfee was born in Alburg, 



Grand Isle county, Vermont, and is a daugh- 
ter of .Ashley and Rosetta (Graves) ]\Iott. Her 
father died in Poultney, in 1878; he moved 
there in 1875 from Johnson, \"crniont, where 
he had been engaged in farming. Mrs. Dur- 
fee's mother resides in Poultney at the home 
of her son-in-law, Dr. Durfee. Three of Mrs. 
Durfee's uncles are Methodist ministers, and 
the very name of Mott seems to be synony- 
mous with Methodism. 




■(i, iAk\TLL COLVIN, deceased, com- 
monlv known as "Deacon Colvin," 
was engaged in carpenter work, 
as a contractor and builder for upwards of half 
a centurv in Rutland county, being located 
in the town of Dauby the nio.st of the time. 
Mr. Colvin was well known throughout Rut- 
land countv. He was born in South Danby, 
Vermont. April 8, 1818. \\'hen twenty years 
old, he began carpenter work, receiving wages 
from the start. After thoroughly mastering 
his trade, he branched forth as a contractor 
and builder, following that line of work until 
1 89 1. In 1876, he purchased a farm of 100 
acres in the town of Pawlet, Vermont, and, 
upon his retirement from carpenter work, be- 
gan conducting affairs on the farm, himself. 
There the declining years of his life were 
spent, and there his death occurred Novem- 
ber 13, 1899, his death being brought on by 
the results of a shock, rcceivcil October 9, 
1899. 
January 8, 1850, Mr. Colvin was united in 




PROF. WILLARD A. FRASIER. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



263 



marriage with Caroline Hopson, an attract- 
ive daughter of Jolm and Louisa (Lewis) Hop- 
son, of Wells, \^ermont. They lost two chil- 
dren : one daughter died in infancy ; another 
daughter, Abbie M., died from the effects of 
a severe fall when but two and a half years 
old. Their daughter, Carrie Louise, tiie only 
child that grew to maturitv, married John B. 
Moore, and they are the fond parents of two 
little sons; Marvill Colvin,'born September 27, 
1892; and William, born November 2, 1897. 
Mr. and Mrs, Moore have been conducting 
the small farm, antl our subject made his home 
with them. The splendid farm upon which 
they live was in former years principally a 
dairy farm. Upon it have been kept about 
fourteen cows. Since February 8, 1888, the 
date of Mr. and Mrs. Moore's marriage, that 
branch of farming lias been discontinued. Mr. 
Moore has carried on general farming besides 
having raised some fine horses of which he is 
especially fond. 

Marvill Colvin was a son of Enoch and 
Judith (Bartlett) Colvin and grandson of 

Luther and (Wilkins) Colvin. Luther 

Colvin was a native of Connecticut. He found 
his way into the woods of Danby by marked 
trees. He and his wife were blessed with 
eleven children, and of these reared four sons 
and three daughters. His beloved companion 
passed away about 1825, she being very ad- 
\anced in years at the time of her death. She 
was survived some six years by her husband, 
who rests beside her in the cemetery in Danby. 
They left a small hill farm. Although a 
Quaker and peaceably inclined, Luther Colvin 



was an active participan't in the French and 
Lidian War. 

Enoch Colvin, father of our subject, was 
born in the town of Danby, Vermont, in 1793. 
He wedded Judith Bartlett, of Rhode Island. 
To them were born three children, viz. : Han- 
nah ; Marvill, subject of this sketch ; and 
Enoch. Haiuiah married Nathan Monroe, 
and she and her husband both died in Marilla, 
New York. They had three sons, and two 
daughters ; two of the sons died in the war, 
while the third died soon after his return home 
froiu the war. Enoch went to Nebraska, in 
1 89 1, and died there six years later. He 
had three children, of whom two sons are still 
living. Subject's father was a wheelwright 
by trade. His death took place in 1825. 

Marvill Colvin was a stanch Republican. He 
served his chosen party in various ways as the 
incumbent of the offices of justice of the 
peace, overseer of the poor, etc. He was an 
active member of the Congregational church 
for more than fifty years, and served as dea- 
con thirty years. Mr. Colvin kept himself well 
posted on affairs of the day and was highl)' 
regarded by many loving friends and relatives. 




ROF. \\TLLARD A. FRASIER. We 
deem it a pleasure to introduce to our 
readers Prof. Willard A. Frasier, a 
man who has attained considerable promi- 
nence in educational circles in Rutland and 
other counties, and one who for the past three 
years has stood at the head of the public 



264 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



schools of the city of Rutland, Vermont. He 
was horn in Lockport. 111., in 1853, and is a 
son of James R. and Mary A. (Biown) Fras- 
ier. His grandfather, Reuben Frasier, was 
horn in .Scotland, and reared eight sons and 
four daughters. 

W'illard .\. Frasier was reared a farmer bov 
and. although the recipient of only a com- 
mon school education, was ambitious to learn 
more, and at the age of eighteen years taught 
his first school. By teaching a part of the 
time, he worked his way through Oherlin 
College, graduating in 1881. Later he took 
a business course in the Spencerian Business 
College, then going to Mansfield, Ohio, be- 
came assistant principal of the Richland 
County Normal College, where he taught for 
some time. Later, he taught at Poultney, 
Rutland county, X'crmont. in Trov Confer- 
ence .\cademy. for a period of seven years, 
and was then ch.osen principal of the Poult- 
ney High School, retaining that position for 
three years. He ne.xt went to Jersey City, 
N. J., and taught one year, but in 1897 ac- 
cepted his present position as superintendent 
of the Rutland schools, and is now serving 
his third year. 

Prof. Frasier has made many sincere and 
earnest efforts to build up the schools of Rut- 
land, and his success is not only gratifying to 
himself and friends, but to all who believe in 
good, practical, thorough, educational insti- 
tutions. Prof. Frasier assumed the obliga- 
tions of the marriage compact, by exchanging 
vows of fidelity and love with Jennie E. Clark, 
an accomplished daughter of Herman R. and 



Lucia A. (Thompson) Clark, highly respected 
and influential citizens of Poultney, \'ermont. 
Mr. Clark is a skilled mechanic of that pros- 
perous town and has but one other daughter 
besides Mrs. Frasier, namely. — Mrs. Myron 
Bartholomew, of Hyde Park, Massachusetts. 
Prof, and Mrs. Frasier, with their only child, 
Ruth Leila, now a lieautiful babe, have an at- 
tractive home in Rutland. They are wor- 
shipers in the Methodist church, and are very 
generous supporters of that denomination. In 
his political views, our subject is in sympathy 
with the Republicrms. Ijut does not carry poli- 
tics int(j the school work. He has been a 
most successful instructor from the start and 
now ranks high among the most able and 
prominent educators in the Green Mountain 
State. 

James R. Frasier, our subject's father, was 
a native of Sullivan count}', X. ^^, as was also 
his wife, and it was in that county that their 
marriage occurred. .After marriage they con- 
tinued to reside in the Empire State until 
1843. when they went west to Illinois, where 
Mr. Frasier became prominent in farming. 
They reared five children out of the seven 
born to them, and were unfortmiate in that 
they lost two infant sons. Their first born 
was Charles E. Frasier, who was a merchant 
for m;my years but is now retired. Other 
members of the family are: Thomas B., who 
has a stock farm near Sterling, Neb. ; Anna 
M., wife of Joseph Vinson, of Joliet, 111. ; W'il- 
lard A., subject of this sketch; and Leila L, 
who died at the age of nineteen years in Plain- 
field, 111., five miles from the old homestead 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



265 



of 1 60 acres. Mr. and Mr.s. Frasier were not 
college educated, but were well-iuformed, iu- 
telligent people. They were of Scotch an- 
cestry, and of the (/)ld School Presbyterians. 
The beloved mother died in 1859, aged forty- 
two years. Her companion survived her fif- 
teen years and died in 1874, aged fifty-five 
years. 

Our subject is a gentleman of rare intel- 
lectual attainments, broad views, and superior 
executive aljility, and has done much to raise 
the standard of the schools wherever he has 
been an instructor, and in bringing them to 
a high state of efHiciency he has followed the 
most approved methods as laid down by the 
foremost students of pedagogy. Prof. Fras- 
ier's portrait accompanies this sketch. 



T^ HERON BUSH SMITH, an ex- 
tensive real estate owner, retired farm- 
er, and capitalist of Brandon, Vermont, 
was born in Moriah, New York, September 
28, 1808. He is a son of Theron and Esther 
(Bush) Smith. 

His father was born in ^Massachusetts, in 
1785, and died in Orwell, Vermont, in 1855. 
He began life humldy, and by his industry 
and economy became a man of wealth for a 
farmer of those days. Our subject's mother 
was a native of Massachusetts, or Connecticut. 
She sur\-ived her husl)an<l many years and 
died when about eighty years of age. 

Theron Bush Smith, an only child, inher- 
ited a good property, — a farm of 118 acres 



in ( )rwell, Vermont, in which town both of 
his i^areuts are buried. He received an acad- 
emic education in Ca.stleton, \'ermont, after 
which he taught school for two winters and 
then turned his attention to farming on the 
home place where he remained until his re- 
moval to Brandon, Vermont. 

On March 2, 1831, he married Esther 
Humphrey. They had three children ; only one 
of these reached maturity, Mrs. Mary Will- 
marth, now a widow. She has two sons, Bush 
and Elmer, who now reside in IMiddlebury, 
Vermont. Mr. Smith was again married on 
November 20, 1844, to Almeda T. Warren, of 
Orwell, Vermont. Their "Golden Wedding" 
was fittingly celebrated, in 1894. They have 
three daughters : Alma, Electa, and Cora. 
Alma married Dr. W. H. Wright, of Brandon, 
Vt. ; they have two sons, Theron and Earl. 
Electa married Dr. W. H. Kingsley, of Mid- 
dlcbury, Yt. Cora is the wife of G. H- Young, 
cashier of the First National Bank of Brandon, 
Vermont. 

Mr. Smith removed to Brandon. \'ermont, 
thirty-seven years ago, since which time he 
has li\'ed in his present handsome home on 
Union street. 

He has always been interested in the cul- 
tivation of land. His holdings now amount 
to o\er 1,000 acres. Three of his farms 
are located in Orwell, where he resided for 
fifty vears, ami another is situated in the 
town of Brandon, \'ermont, where he also 
owns a fine business block and many private 
dwellings. At the age of ninety-one years he 
is still able to give personal attention to his 



266 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



varied business interests and to superintend 
tiie care (if liis farms. Mr. Smitli is a stock- 
Iiolder in the two hanks of Brandon, and for 
twenty years has been a director in the First 
National of said town. lie was one of the 
orijj'inators of the Cloud County liank of Con- 
cordia. Kansas, which was incorporated in 
1879. and for the past eigfhtecn years has been 
its president. 

While never taking- an active ])art in ])oli- 
tics Mr. Smith is a stanch ]\e])ublican. In 
town matters he has been a public sjiirited 
citizen, contributing liberally to enterprise* 
that would help the community. He has been 
for years a generous and hearty supporter of 
the Congregational church, and the friend of 
any good cause. 



"irAoX ELIJ.MI AT\VOOD is a well- 
vS~) ^""'^'" farmer, whose place joins Cas- 
''"'^■^ tleton village on the west. The 
appearance of his sightly home and welbkept 
acres ])roclaims him a wdrtliv descendant of 
his I-lnglish-Scolcli- Irish ancestry. 

He traces his family on his father's side to 
Captain Thomas Atwood. wlm lived in W'eth- 
ersfield. Coim.. and died in if)Sj. liis father, 
Joseph .\t\\(iod. was born in Shoreham. \'er- 
mont, where he grew to niaidiood and en- 
gaged in business. He married Ann.i .Miller. 
a sister of Cajjtain Willi;un Miller, who ac- 
(|uired world-wide fame by his lectures on 
prophecy. .Soon removing from Shoreham to 
Glover, in the same state, he became a suc- 



cessful manufacturer of woolen goods and 
later established a similar industry at Magog, 
Canada, w here the subject of this sketch was 
Ijorn .\pril i(). 1824. 

Don E. .\twood became fatherless at four- 
teen _\-ears and his mother removed for a time 
to Hampton, X. Y.. to be with her kindred 
and educate her two boys, of whom Don E. 
was the elder. After some years the family 
returnetl to their Canadian home, where they 
liveil until the death of the mother. 

Selling his interest in the estate, Don E. 
located at East Whitehall. X. Y.. where he 
purchased a small but jiroductive farm. In 
1846 he married .Vmanda M. Bosworth, of 
Hampton, X". Y., a daughter of Hezekiah Bos- 
worth, an influential citizen and an otiiccr in 
the War of 181 2. 

Excepting the short time he was at the head 
of the woolen works in Magog, Mr. Atwood 
has followed farming continuously, ;md while 
still young had accumulated a competence 
ample for his needs. For many years he has 
lived a (|uiet and peaceful life, free from the 
cares and anxieties incident to the pursuit of 
wealth or fame. 

To Mr. and ^frs. .\twoo(l have been born 
three children, a daughter w ho died in infancy, 
and two sons, Joseph X'ictor and Frederick 
Julius. The former died at nineteen \ears of 
age. beloved b\' a wide circle of friends. The 
latter graduated from the higher course of the 
state normal school at Castleton, in 1S75, 
from the Troy Business College in 1876 and 
in the s.ame \ear entered the First National 
Bank of Brandon, \'t., as l)ookkeeper. In 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



267 



1879 he went to Kansas and is now president 
of the First National Bank of Concordia in 
that state. 

In politics, Mr. Atwood has generally voted 
with the Repulilicans. although in recent years 
he has been a member of the Prohibition party 
and as such has l:)een a candidate for state sen- 
ator and delegate to a national convention. 
The church affiliations of Mr. and Mrs. At- 
wood have been with the Adventists. 

Mr. Atwood has sought neither wealth nor 
fame; but might say with truth: "Herein do 
I exercise myself, to ha\e always a conscience 
\'oid of offense toward God and toward man." 




'USAN ELIZABETH BOGUE, of 
Wallingford, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, is the widow of the late Ed- 
win Stewart Rogue. The latter was born in 
Pittsford, Vt., March 25, 1824, where he also 
attended the public school. His education 
was finished at the Burr & Burton Academy, 
at Manchester, Vermont. 

On leaving that institution, at the age of 
twenty-one years, Mr. Bogue went to North- 
ern Wisconsin, and was for some time en- 
gaged in the lumber business, but subse- 
quently went to Crown Point, N. Y., where 
he accepted a position in a general store. 
After working as a clerk for some time, he 
was taken in as a partner with 1 lammond 
Brothers, who owned the store, and who also 
operated an iron foundry at Crown Point. 
When Mr. Bogue became a partner, the firm 



was styled Hammond & Company. Some 
time later the company was reorganized, and 
was thereafter known as the Crown Point 
Iron Company. Mr. Bogue was a member of 
the company as long as his health permitted, 
l)ut after he became afflicted with paralysis, 
he was unable to continue in active work. 
Therefore, selling his interest to the com- 
pany, he withdrew some years prior to his 
death, which occurred in 1887. He was a man 
of exceptional business qualities, and the suc- 
cess of the Crown Point Iron Company was 
due largely to his efforts. He was upright 
and honorable in all his deahngs, and com- 
manded the respect of all who knew him. He 
was a loving husband and his loss was felt by 
all. In politics, he was a Republican, and was 
an aggressive worker in behalf of his party ; 
but he never could be prevailed upon to ac- 
cept office. He was an attendant of the Con- 
gregational church. He married Susan Eliz- 
abeth Sabin, the subject of this biography, 
who bore him one son, the latter dying at the 
age of twenty-six years. 

Mrs. Bogue is a native of Wallingfortl, Ver- 
mont. Her primary education was obtained 
in the public schools of her native town, after 
which she attended Castleton Seminary, 
from which she graduated. She then followed 
the profession of teaching, which occupied 
her attention until her marriage. During her 
married life, her home was in Crown Point, 
New York. One year after the death of her 
husband, she returned to her native town. She 
then erected her handsome residence, which is 
one of the finest in the village. It was built 



268 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



accordiiitj to some of Mrs. Rogue's favorite 
ideas and plans, and is an ornament to the 
town, wliere she, also, owns another pretty 
dwelling'. 

Mrs. Bogue is a daughter oi David and 
Mary (Draper) Sahin. David Sabin was a 
native of \ermont, and ohtained a limited. 
education in the public schools, after which he 
began a mercantile career. He started into bus- 
iness for himself l)y opening a general store, 
continued in that line during his active days, 
and tinalK' retired. Mrs. Sabin was born in 
Claremont. Xcw 1 lani])shire, where she was 
educated, antl continued to li\e. until her mar- 
riage. She bore her husband eleven children. 
namely: Edgar D. ; Mary (Martindale) ; 
Susan Elizabeth, the subject hereof; George; 
Charles ; Her\e\- ; Henry ; Simeon ; Anne ; and 
two others who died in infancy. Mrs. Bogue 
is a member uf the Congregational duirch. 
She. is an active member of the Ladies' Aid 
Society, and also of the \\ omen's Relief 
Cor])s, and the hortnightlv Literarv Club. 
In fact, she is an enthusiastic worker in anv 
religious or charitable cause. 




^^^AMCEL HANGER, a retired and 
aged citizen of Hvde\ille. Rutland 
county. \'ermont, is now ncaring the 
octogenarian mark in life, lie was born in 
Plymouth, luigland, I'ebruarv 15. 1S21. The 
Hangers were jjrosperous in England in the 
seventeentli century. The first one of the 
family to come to America was Ryland 



Hanger, a younger brother of our subject. 
William Hanger, grandfather of Samuel, 
I was a boot and shoe maker. 1 le was captured 
I bv the ])ress gang, was taken Id sea, and 
forced to ser\ e in the English na\'v. He was 
ser\ing in the Heet of .\dmiral Xelson, when 
the island of TenerifTe was cajitured, and was 
killed in that action, leaving only one son, 
William Hanger, Jr., tlie father of our sub- 
ject. William Hanger, Jr., was l)(^)rn in 1792. 
He was a Baptist missionary, and after \ig- 
orous and unremitting ser\-ices in the mission- 
ary work retired to an old farm house in the 
jjarish of Marllxiro, where he died in 1849; 
his reiuains were laid to rest in the parish of 
Stokenham, near the village of Chillatoa, 
Dexonshire. His marriage with a Miss Mir- 
field resultetl in the birth of four sons and 
five daughters. 

( )f this large family, .Sruunel Hanger, our 
subject, is the only survi\ing member. He 
was the second son and the third child of his 
parents. Previous to seeking a home in .\mer- 
ica for his faniil}'. he had learned the marble 
trade in h^ngland, serving seven years' aj)- 
prenticeshi]). During that ])eriod he learned 
all the different branches of the trade, but 
|)aid ]>articular attention to car\ing and sculp- 
ture, which was his principal work. Later he 
worked at the turning lathe. He also learned 
designing and dralting. He was em|)loyed 
man\' \'ears in his brother I\\land's mill at 
H\'de\'ille. \'erniont, and is still interested to 
some extent in the same line of work. 

Ryland Hanger, our subject's brother, 
came to America in 1853, when a young man. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



269 



He took passage on a sailing vessel and after 
a long and tedious voyage of five or six weeks 
landed at New York, where he remained four 
years. He had also learned the marble busi- 
ness in England, serving sex-en long years of 
apprenticeship. From New York he moved 
to West Castleton, Vermont, to work for a 
slate company. About 1880, he purchased a 
marble mill at Hydeville, and turned it into a 
slate mill. He was one of the pioneers in the 
manufacture of marbleized slate, which occu- 
l)ied his attention many years. In October, 
1887, Ryland Hanger died very suddenly, 
leaving no children. He had previously lost 
his wife. 

In July, 1843, when twenty-two years of 
age, our subject was united in marriage with 
Marion Kelley. Their marriage occurred 
in England. She was a daughter of 
Richard Kelley. who was a lieutenant of the 
Royal Cornwall militia. Mr. and Mrs. 
Hanger became the parents of four children, 
namely: Louise, Samuel E., Evangeline 
Harriet, and Leanora A. F. Louise, who 
married H. Shannon, and had six children, 
died in middle life. Samuel E. is an 
Episcopalian minister in Monroe ^^'isconsin ; 
he has a wife and three children. Evangeline 
Harriet married John Callaway and resides 
in Hydeville : they have one son and two 
daughters. Leanora A. F. became the wife 
of George Benford, of Fair Haven, Vermont, 
and they have two sons and one daughter. 

Ryland Hanger accumulated a moderate 
fortune, most of which he left to our subject's 
children. Samuel Hanger is a man of re- 



fined tastes and might have made his mark 
in the world of literature. But not until his 
declining years did he court the Muses or 
listen to their voices, and write some metrical 
lines. 



>^^3^^E0RGE FRANCIS BROWN. The 
I -spp gentleman whose name appears at the 

^"""^head of this sketch, is a retired car- 
penter and builder in Rutland, Vermont, 
where he has made liis home since 1881. In 
that vear he jjurchased an acre of ground and 
upon a part of it erected a dweUing, which he 
afterward sold at a fair profit. He was then 
enabled to build his present comfortable resi- 
dence at Number 16, Nichols street, into 
which he moved in 1886. Since that time he 
has built other houses in Rutland, and from 
the rental of these has derived a handsome in- 
terest on his investment. He began the car- 
penter's trade when a youth of seventeen 
years, and has followed that line of work 
nearly a quarter of a century, — twelve years 
being spent in Poultney, Vermont. 

Mr. Brown was born in Middletown, Ver- 
mont, October 7, 1842. He was reared to 
farm life, and at an early age was performing 
the hardest labors to be found about his 
father's place ; his educational advantages 
were therefore limited to an elementary train- 
ing in the common branches in the district 
schools. At the age of twenty years he en- 
tered the LInion army, enlisting as a private 
in Company K, 14th Regiment, Vermont In- 
fantry ; this regiment was included in the Sec- 



270 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ond Vermont Brigade. The Second Vermont 
Brigade, under (jeneral Stannard, is given the 
credit l)y most military exjierts of liaving 
turned the tide of battle at (jettysburg; wlicn 
General l'ickett"s cohunn of 20,000 Confed- 
erates, the very ])ick and llower of (ieneral 
Lee's army, moved to that great charge on 
the Union center on July 3, 1863, and it 
seemed inevitable ruin for the Union cause. 
General Stannard's brigade, by a well exe- 
cuted and diflicult maneuver. m(i\cd ujjon the 
ll;ink- of the Confederate colunni and, taking- 
it l)y surprise, routed it and drove the Con- 
federate soldiers back on the center of the 
column, where a converging fire forced the 
Rebels to give ground and fall l)ack, beaten. 
This was the turning-point of the whole war. 
Mr. Brown served nine months and. although 
not wounded, had a close call with death from 
a bullet, that was stopped by a tin pail in his 
haversack. 

George l-'rancis Brown is a son of (ieorge 
White and Jerusha (Stiles) Brown, a grandson 
of Josepli and I'olly (White) Brown, and a 
great-grandson of Josepli Brown, a farmer 
who lived in Tinmouth, Vermont. The last- 
named, Joseph B.rown, great-grandfather of 
G. F. Brown, was in the battle of Lexington, 
April 19, 1775, with his twin-brother, Jonas, 
and their l)r()ther, Moses. Joseph served as 
first lieutenant of the 15th Massachusetts Reg- 
iment; was made captain Februarv 3. 17S0. 
and resigned November [5, 1780. Moses was 
commissioned captain of the 14th Regiment, 
Continental Infantry, January i, 1776. Jonas 
was made second lieutenant of Ward's Massa- 



chusetts Regiment, May 23. 1775. He was 
wounded on .April n), 1773. at the battle of 
Lexington. 

Joseph Ihdwn, the great-grandfather of 
George h'rancis Brown. mo\ed from West- 
moreland and settled in Tinmouth : lie mar- 
ried Annis Knites White, who was reared in 
Westmoreland, where he also grew to man- 
hood. He died in 1819. 

Joseph Brown, grandfather of our subject, 
was born in 1777. and died in 1863. He was a 
thrift}' farmer in Tinmouth. A'ermont. during 
the most of his life, and was a leading" member 
of the Congregational church, in which he 
served as deacon during his last forty years. 
He was a man of influence and served in 
nearly all the town ofifices. Li 1800 he wedded 
PolK' W bite, who was born in 1783. anil died 
at tlie age of ninety-nine years and two 
months. She retained possession of her facul- 
ties almost to the close of her long life. She 
was a daughter of Archibald White, who was 
born in 1758, and died in 181 1, and a grand- 
daughter of George White, a native of \\'ales. 
Our subject's grandparents reared the follow- 
ing children : Susamiah : Annis ; Arethusa ; 
George W. ; Maria ; ami Joseph. 

George White Brown, father of the subject 
hereof, was born in Tinmouth, Rutland 
county, \'ermont, September i, 1812. He 
married Jerusha Stiles, daughter of Gould 
and Laura (Haynes) Stiles. It is rather a 
singular coincidence that both our subject's 
maternal great-grandfather and grandfather 
were named Gould Stiles. Gould Stiles, the 
great-grandfather, ser\ed in the raiiks of the 




HKNRV M. GIPSON. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



273 



Revolutionary army, from Connecticut ; liis 
son Gould served in the War of 1812, but 
was not engaged in any Ijattle ; twelve chil- 
dren were reared by him. Mrs. Brown, the 
mother of our subject, on her mother's side, 
was a granddaughter of Jonathan Haynes, 
who was born July 16, 1753, in Norwich, 
Conn., and was twenty-four }ears and one 
month old. when he was seriously wounded 
in the battle of Bennington, where General 
Stark led the patriots against the British to 
victory. His death occurred May 13, 18 13, 
in Middletown, Rutland county, and his re- 
mains were the^ laid to rest. He was a son 
of Jonathan Haynes, who was born October 
25, 1/12, in Haverhill, Alass. ; this Jonathan 
Haynes was a son of Thomas Haynes, who 
was born in Newbury, Mass., May 14, 1680, 
and was twice captured by the Indians, and 
held in captivity for some time. Thomas 
Haynes was a son of Jonathan Haynes, who 
was born in 1646 in Salem, Mass., and was 
killed by the Indians, February 22, 1698, at 
Haverhill, at the time of his son Thomas" sec- 
ond capture. 

Our subject's parents farmed on the Stiles 
farm which was in the towns of Middletown, 
Poultney and Wells, with the residence in 
Wells. The farm was an extensive one, and 
was quite profitably cultivated by Mr. Brown, 
who attended strictly to home affairs, as he 
was of a retiring disposition, and could not be 
prevailed upon to become a public servant by 
holding office. He was a member of the Con- 
gregational church, and a member of the I. O. 
0- F. The remains of our subject's parents 



were Ijuried in the Poultney cemetery. George 
Francis Brown, our subject, was one of two 
children that composed his parents' family. 

On ]\Iarch 29. 1869. our subject married 
Harriet Elizabeth Adams, a young lady of 
Troy. Pennsylvania. Mrs. Brown was born 
in 1845. and is a daughter of James and Me- 
linda ( Potter) Adams, both of whom are now 
deceased. Her father was twice married, and 
reared ten children, altogether. ]vlrs. Brown 
is one of a family of six children, born to her 
mother. — three sons and three daughters; 
four of the family are still li\ing. She has also 
one half-brother and three half-sisters still 
li\'ing. To the suljject of this sketch and his 
attractive wife have been born two sons, one 
of whom died in infancy. The other, Frank 
Joseph, a jeweler of Rutland, married Mattie 
Dye November 23, 1898. In politics, our sub- 
ject is nominally a Republican, but \otes inde- 
pendently, and has in the main escaped office. 
He has. however, served as justice of the 
peace for two years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Brown 
are faithful members of the M. E. church. 




Ci^i ENRY M. GIPSON, a lumber dealer 
and prominent citizen of Brandon, 
Rutland county, Vermont, whose 
portrait accompanies this account of his life, 
was born in Salisbury, Vermont, September 
13, 1848. He received a common school edu- 
cation, and when eighteen years old began his 
career by hiring out to a farmer. After work- 
ing diligently nine months he quit, drew his 



274 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



wages and wisely spent one more year at 
school. He located in Brandon, in 187 1, and 
spent nine years engaged in mercantile bus- 
iness with the firm of E. A. Hamilton & Com- 
pany. Later he was a butter buyer and 
packer for five years. For the past ten years 
Mr. Gipson has been in the lumber business. 
He bouglit out James Knapp and does a large 
and increasing business at the old stand. 

Carlos Gipson, our subject's father, was 
born in 1822. He married Laura Whitney, 
who was born in Salisbury, the same year. 
Their marriage took ])lace about the year 
1840. Three children blessed their union, 
Nora L., Ella, and our subject. Nora L. re- 
sides in Brandon. Ella married F. L. Rogers, 
of the same place. Subject's father began life 
a poor man and became a merchant and spec- 
ulator. He left a good property and, better 
still, a good name. He was a Democrat and 
served as sheriff of Addison county ; he also 
served as selectman and in other town ofifices. 
He was not a member of any church. Our 
subject's mother died less than a year before 
her husband. They are buried in the Salisbury 
cemetery. 

James Meacham Gipson, our subject's 
grandfather, was born at Athol, Mass., in 
1795, and died in Salisbury, Vermont, at the 
extreme age of ninety-three years. He mar- 
ried Abigail Gibson, who died the same year 
as her husband, also aged ninety-three years. 
James Meacham Gipson was crippled by the 
use of calomel and used crutches for many 
years. 

November 18, 1869, Mr. Gipson was joined 



in marriage with Nellie Waterhouse, of Salis- 
bury. She is a daughter of ^\'illiam Water- 
house, a wheelwright, wiio reared two daugh- 
ters. Mrs. Gipson is the only survivor of the 
family. Four children were born to her and 
her husband, namely: luigcnc and Fred, who 
both died of the scarlet fe\er and are buried 
together; Arthur; and Carlos. Arthur was 
born in 1874 and is now bookkeeper in his 
father's of^ce. Carlos is a bright lad of thir- 
teen years. Mr. Gipson is a stanch Repub- 
lican. He has sers-ed as first selectman and 
as water conmiissioner for ten years and is 
still serving in both positions. Fie served in 
the legislature, in 1890. He is the general 
superintendent of the county fair and has been 
for five years. 

The beautiful residence in which Mr. Gi|)- 
son resides was formerly the property of his 
beloved father; our suljject purchased the 
interest of the other heirs and now owns it 
himself. He has spent much time and money 
in improving it and has made it one of the 
most desirable residences in the village. Mr. 
Gipson is a master Mason and member of the 
L O. O. F., of Brandon, Vt. He worships at 
the Congregational church, of which his wife 
is a devout member. 



AFAYETTE ALLEN. The enterpris- 
ing and progressive character of the 
gentleman whose name is prefixed 
to this sketch, is widely known among lum- 
bermen of the Green Mountain State. After 




RUTLAND COUNTY 



275 



completing his scliooling, he immediately un- 
dertook the business of lumbering, and has 
since followed it. This branch of industry is 
very profitable in the state of Vermont. Mr. 
Allen was born in Hubbardton, Vermont, 
June 12, 1855, and is a son of Riley V. and 
Mariette (Walker) Allen. 

Riley V. Allen was born in Sudbury, Vt., 
in 1829. He attended school until he attained 
the age of fifteen years, and proved to be an 
apt scholar. He was especially proficient in 
grannnar and mathematics, which qualifica- 
tions went far toward fitting him for the pro- 
fession of a teacher. He was a prominent and 
successful educator, and continued teaching 
for twenty-lhree years. He became very pop- 
ular, and in the course of time officiated as 
town superintendent of schools for more than 
twenty years. He was united in marriage 
with Mariette \\'alker, and reared four chil- 
dren : Harold, who tiled at the age of twenty- 
eight years ; Lafayette, the subject of this 
sketch : Thomas P. and Arthur W. Harold 
learned the engineers and undertakers' trade. 
Thomas P. assists his brother, Lafayette. La- 
fayette Allen's father was a prominent Repub- 
lican. He was a representative in the State 
Legislature, and filled other otTices at the 
hands of his partv. In a religious sense, he 
was a s])iritualist ; he died in 1889, aged sixty 
years. 

Li his youth, the subject hereof moved 
with the family to Chittenden, Vt., and there 
received his mental training. When a boy, 
he worked for different concerns. In 1884, 
he bousht the mill he now runs. It was at 



that time an old, English gate mill, l)ut he has 
impro\ed it in many ways, and added twenty- 
four one-inch turbines of eighteen horse 
power. He has this mill ecjuipped with an up- 
right saw, with bench saws and cave spout 
machine, a turning shop wnth bench saws, slab 
saws, etc. He manufactures stone boat planks, 
marble rollers, eave spouts and boxing. 
The output of his mill is about one hundred 
and fifty thousand feet per year, and gives 
employment to five men, in summer, and ten 
men, in winter. He has three hundred and 
fifty aci-es of very fine, hardwood timber land, 
and all the product of his mill is manufac- 
tured for the Vermont Marble Works. Lie 
uses princijxdiy birch, beech and maple. 

His ingenuity and enterprise have led him 
to expend large amounts of money in experi- 
ments. He has made a valuable automatic 
lathe for turning hard wood rollers. In the 
construction of this machine he has done his 
own mechanical work, even to making the 
tools. He has also demonstrated that a band 
saw cannot be used in the hard woods of this 
state. His building is stocked with labor sav- 
ing machinery and devices of his own inven- 
tion. In the bu,sy season he runs his mill 
night and day. He also uses a thirty-two-inch, 
inserted-tooth circular saw. All the belting, 
shafting, pulleys and intricate machinery are 
in the basement. Since he came into pos- 
session of the mill, he has rebuilt the lower 
portion, and added a blacksmith shop for his 
own work ; he also has a nice house and barn, 
near the mill. He uses three teams for haul- 
ing his logs. On his timber lands is a lot of 



276 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



fine spruce, and plans to put in machinery for 



Ro1)ert Buffum came from Enj^Iand; lie died 



the use of this in the manufacture of chair in 1679. The next in line of descent was 
stretchers are now under consideration. He C'rdeh. born in 1650, tlien Benjamin, wlio was 



lias a nice farm of fifty acres wliicli lie cuUi- 
vates in adihtion to other work. 

Mr. Allen nianied EUcn Hill. Her ])arents 
were of ICnglish descent. They ha\e two chil- 
dren, a son and a dau!.^hter. l<obert \'., the 
son, received a conunon scliool education, and 
then attended the Rutland Business College ; 
after this he sj^ent a year at Boston, and is 



liiirn in Salem, Mass., in 1686. hut subse- 
(|ueiuly removed to Smilhheld, Rhode Island. 
The last named \\;is the father of Benjamin, 
who belonged to the Society of I'riends. and 
was one of the first settlers of Richmond, Xcw 
Hampshire. He was long looked upon as one 
of the foremost men in the county, being an 
ad\anced thinker and a man of sterling char- 



now a student at R. E. C. I. Carrie P>.. the : acter. His son, Caleb, was born at Smith 



daughter, is also a student. The subject of 
this sketch is a Republican in politics, and is at 
present chairman of the school board ; he has 
been overseer of the poor, justice of the peace, 
and juryman. He is a member of Killington 
Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 29, Rutland. \'cr- 
mont. 



M 



field, R. I., in 1759, and was, in turn, the father 
of Caleb Buffum. who was born in the old 
['uflum House, now standing in Richmond, 
X. 11.. in the _\'ear 1781). 

Paris E. Buffum. the grandfather of Dr. 
Buffum. was Ijorn in Mt. Tabor, \'t.. in 1809. 
and is a son of Caleb and Hulda (Paris) Buf- 
fum. He received his mental training in the 
public schools of his native state. He learned 
the trade of a blacksmith and founder at East 
Dorset, \'ermont. where he had mo\-ed, and 
afterward established himself in business. He 



R. JOllX il.XROLD BUFFUM, 

\^ a from early youth, evinced a love for 

earning. His taste for literary work j was an extensive manufacturer, and employer 



increased with his age. and in class work at 
college he was easily a leader. He had a s])e- 
cial fondness for medicine and surgery, and 
entered upon his studies with a zeal and fer- 
vor which made him a brilliant scholar. Dr. 
Buffum is a son of John Easton and Helen 
(Sexton) Buffum, and a grandson of I'.aris E. 
and Ann R. (Soule) BulTum. 

The famil\- has been established in this 



of labor, for those days, .\fter he had con- 
ducted Ijusiness for some years, he sold out, 
and bought a doidile section farm. He was 
successful in his rural ])ursuits. and lived o!i 
the farm during the remainder of his life. He 
married and reared nine children. \ iz. : John 
Easton, father of the subject hereof; Cornelia: 
Jane; Helen; Charles; Louis: Florence: X''el- 
lic. and Henry. 

John Easton BulTum. was born in East 



country for more than three and a half cen- 
turies, dating back to the year 1630, when | Dorset, Vermont, in 1838. He received the 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



277 



rudiments of his education in tlie public 
schools of his native town, and subsequently 
attended the Burr & Burton Seminary. After 
leaving that institution, he taught school for 
several terms, and was then appointed exam- 
iner of schools. At the close of his official 
term as school examiner, he bought a farm 
and followed agricultural pursuits for some 
time ; he then decided to sell his farm and 
Iniy village property, which he accordingly 
did. Coming to his village home, he accepted 
a position as tool temperer, in the shops of D. 
L. Kent & Company. He was united in mar- 
riage with Helen Sexton, a daughter of Jo- 
seph Sexton. She was born in the same town 
as her husband, and was educated in the pub- 
lic schools, in which she was afterward a suc- 
cessful teacher, for six years. They have two 
children, John (the subject hereof), and Clara. 
John Easton Buffum was a Democrat, and 
served as selectman, justice of the peace, 
postmaster, and member of the assembly, 
from Dorset, — serving through the term of 
1890. He was a popular man, and a hard 
worker for his party organization. In his re- 
ligious life, he was a worshiper in the Con- 
gregational church. 

Dr. Buffum acquired a rudimental educa- 
tion in the public schools of Bennington 
county, Vermont, and then attended a pre- 
paratory school at Manchester, graduating 
therefrom in 1892. He then entered the Uni- 
versity of \'ermont, taking a classical course 
by which he gained his Ph. B. degree, and 
afterward took up the study of medicine. He 
was a brilliant scholar, and graduated in the 



highest rank, with the degree of M. D. He 
was one of the honor men in the class of 1898. 
After graduating from the University of Ver- 
mont, he went to New York and took a post- 
graduate course, doing hospital duty, and fit- 
ting himself for general work, such as falls 
to the lilt of a ])Iiysician located in a small 
town. In 1898, he moved to W'allingford, 
and succeeded to the practice of Dr. W. K. 
Stewart, an old established physician of Jut- 
land county, \'ermont. 

Dr. Buffum is a general practitioner, and 
has been very successful in his profession. He 
is already making a name for himself, and 
building up a large and lucrative practice. 
His office is in a wing of the house occupied 
by himself and ])arents. Since he purchased 
this property, he has added many needed im- 
provements. The Doctor is independent in 
his political \iews, and a Congregationalist, 
in his religious Ijelief. He is a member of the 
Delta ]\Iu, a college fraternity. 



"ipylv JACQUES J. TRUDEL, the 
Itey .t;enial proprietor of 'The Peoples' 
'^"^""^ Drug Store," on the corner of Cen- 
tre and Wales streets, in Rutland, Vermont, 
is not only a highly competent pharmacist, 
but a prominent physician as well. He has 
one of the most attractive drug stores in Rut- 
land, and makes his own luedicines, of which 
lie has several choice and valuable specialties. 
Dr. Trudel's Cough Syrup, prepared at The 
Peoples' Drug Store, has a wide reputation 



278 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and its sale is extensive. This valual)le cough 
remedy is a sxrup made from a sjjecial for- 
nnila 1)V tiie late Dr. 1'".. II. Trudel, professor 
in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, at 
Montreal, and is one of tlie best preparations 
on the market. 

Dr. Trudel was horn in Nicolet, Province of 
Ouehec, Canada. Alarch _',v 'S^'j- ^^e took 
a classical course in the college of Nicolet, 
graduating therefrom at the age of seventeen 
years. He then took a three years' course 
in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, at 
Montreal, and also graduated from the L'ni- 
\ersity of N'ermont, at lUirlington. in iSS6, 
at which time he rccei\ed his degree of M. D. 
Dr. Trudel innnediately began the practice of 
his profession at Amesbury, Massachusetts, 
where he remained about ten years, removing 
therefrom to Rutland, in December, 1897, and 
establishing his ])resent lucrative practice. He 
kee]>s himself well ])o^te(l in his profession, 
and contemplates taking a six months' jour- 
ucv to Europe, in order to gain still further 
knowledge of his business. 

October 13. 1886, Dr. Trudel was joined in 
marriage with Mary Douise Laiuoureux, a 
highly cnltureil daughter of Jan\ier and So- 
phie (Male) Lamoureu.x, of Montreal. Her 
mother was a sister of one of Dakota's mis- 
sionaries. Mrs. Trudel is a lady of rare mu- 
sical talent and ability, and is a graduate from 
Mrs. Marchand's academv, in Montreal. Two 
sons bless the home of the subject hereof and 
his accomplished wife, namelv: Ducien, who 
is now eleven years of age; and j. J.. Jr.. who 
is nine rears old. Dr. Trudel is a son of Lud- 



ger and Eliza (Jennery) Trudel, a grandson of 
.\nseliu Iv Trudel. and a great-grandson of 
lionaparte Trudel. 

This faniil\- is parlicularl)- noted for longev- 
ity, many of its members having lived to be 
nearl\- one hunilred years old. Bonaparte Tru- 
tlel, the great-grandfather of Dr. Trudel, dietl 
in the winter of 1879, aged ninety-seven years, 
and nine and a half months. His son Anselm 
E., lived at Xicolet, where he died in 1897, 
aged about ninety-six years. The early an- 
cestors came from France in the days of their 
\<)utli. Senator Trutlel of Montreal, now de- 
ceased, was another distinguished luember of 
the famih'. He was a ])rominent lawyer and 
editor, and traced the genealogy of the fam- 
ily back to France. The first members came 
over during the French and Indian ^^'ar. Dr. 
Trudel remeiubers his great-great-grand- 
father, Gaspard, wlunn he saw when a child. 
He was the son of a cai)tain in the h^-encli 
army. 

Dudger Trudel, father of the Doctor, was 
also a nati\e of Xicolet. Earlv in life he was 
a mechanic and a blacksmith, by trade, but 
afterward became a lumber merchant. He 
wedded Eliza Jennery, rmcl they were blessed 
with nine children, — four sons, and five 
daughters ; one son and one daughter died in 
early childhood. Four of the family are still 
living, — y\7.. : Maria ; Jacc|ues J. ; J. E. O. : and 
.\rthur. Maria is the widow of H. C. McCaf- 
frav. residing in Xicolet, Canada, and basing 
three children living. Jacques J. is the subject 
of this biograph}-. J. L. O. is a prosperous 
and successful physician, in Chicago, Illinois, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



279 



where lie graduated from a medical college, in 
1893. He has a wife and one (laughter. Ar- 
thur is a student in the Albany (New York) 
College of Pharmacy. He was employed, for 
some time, as a clerk in the drug store of Dr. 
Trudel, in Rutland. 

Dr. Trudel's mother is still living. She is 
now Mrs. Joseph Raiche, of Derry, New 
Hampshire. In politics, the Doctor is an in- 
dependent voter ; he was appointed city phy- 
sician of Rutland, in May, 1898. Socially, 
the Doctor has many warm friends and appre- 
ciative patrons, and is a \alued member of 
the order of Knights of Pythias, and Uniform 
Rank ; also of St. Jean Baptiste Societies in 
Amesbury, Mass., and Rutland, Vermont, and 
of the Ancient Order of United Workmen 
and the Independent Order of Foresters. 




IRAM A. SMITH, of West Rutland, 
\^ermont, was born at Randolph Cen- 
ter, Orange county, Vt., January 
25, 1835. He was educated at what was then 
the Orange County Grammar school, and 
taught several years in that vicinity, coming 
to West Rutland in 1855, tg enter the employ 
of the marble firm of Sheldon, Morgan & 
Slason, later Sheldon & Sons, and the Sheldon 
Marble Company. He was soon advanced to 
be superintendent, and held this responsible 
position in that great industry, for thirty-six 
years. Mr. Smith always has been deeply 
interested in the growth of the town, and has 
contributed largely to it by opening new 



streets and building a large number of sul:)- 
stantial houses. He erected his fine residence, 
at the corner of Main street and Clarendon 
avenue, in 1879. 

Mr. Snfith is a member of the Congrega- 
tional church, which has received a large 
measure of his thought and care. He has been 
one of the deacons for many years, and for 
twentv-five years was superintendent of its 
Sunday school. He was largely instrumental 
in building the present church edifice. He is 
a Chapter Mason, having been initiated into 
Center Lodge of Rutland, of which he was 
afterward master for two years. He was one 
of the charter members of Hiram Lodge of 
\\'est Rutland, and its first master; he is now 
its chaplain. He has always been an earnest 
Republican in politics, and has held many of 
the town offices. He is a trustee of the Mar- 
ble Savings Bank, of Rutland. 

September 20, 1865. Mr. Smith married 
Ellen S. Manley, youngest child of Thomas 
and Sarah (Bond) Manley, of Chittenden, 
Vermont. Her father was prominent in his 
town and county, and was a mem1)er of the 
State Legislature eight terms. Three children 
ha\'e been born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, 
Charles M. ; William C. ; and Linna G., who 
died when she was eight years old. 

Charles M. was born August 3, 1868. He 
was graduated from St. Johnsbury ( Vt.) Acad- 
emy, in 1887, and from Dartmouth College, in 
1 89 1. He was editor-in-chief of two of the 
college publications, a member of Alpha Delta 
Phi fraternity, of the Casque and Gauntlet 
senior society, and a Phi Beta Kappa man. 



280 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



He took se\eral of the college prizes. The 
two veai's succeeding graduation he passed in 
Washington. D. C. as secretary to Senator 
Proctor. In the si)ring of 181)4 he was one 
of the organizers of the A. !•". I )a\is Feed 
Company, doing a wholesale grain and Hour 
liusiness throughout X'erniont and Massa- 
chusetts, with mill and storehouses at Rutland. 
He has since bought out the other original 
members of the concern, and his brother. Wil- 
liam C, has taken an interest in the business 
with him. In 1896. he purchased his present 
home, which includes a fertile farm on which 
he keeps a large stock. November i. 1893, 
Mr. Smith married Mary A. Stark of Wash- 
ington. D. C. ^Irs. Smith was the daughter 
of Hon. James Landon Stark and Laura 
(Hills) Stark. Her father was a prominent 
lawyer in IJennington county. \'ermont. 
representing the count\- in the State Senate. 
In the fall of 1859. he removed to Chicago, 
where he ])racticed law until his death in 
h'ebruary. 1873, aged fifty years. There Mrs. 
Smith was born. Mr. Stark left a widow, one 
son, and one daughter. The son. James L., 
Jr.. died in childhood. ^Ir. Stark was a man 
of rare abilitv and cultured tastes, and was 
highly successful in his profession. He was 
of the family of Gen. John Sfark, of Revo- 
lutionary fame. Mrs. Stark was a daughter 
of Cyrus B. Hills, for man}- years the most 
prominent merchant of Arlington, \'ermont. 
She died in West Rutland, in June, 1895, and 
with Mr. Stark, is buried at Bennington Cen- 
ter. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have three children, 
Dorothy, born February 7, 1895 ; Charlotte 



Hodges, bom July 9. 1896. and Manley Stark, 
born July 9, 1899. 

William C. Smith was born June 25, 1872. 
He attended the Vermont Academy at Sax- 
ton's River, and also St. Johnsbury Academy, 
graduating from the latter institution in 1892. 
He is n(jw engaged in business, as stated 
above. 

Hiram A. Smith is a son of Serene and 
Hannah (Smith) Smith, a grandson of Nor- 
man and Susannah ( Worden) Smith, and a 
great-grandson of Timothy Smith. Norman 
Smith was born in Hanover, N. H., July 18, 
1776. to which i)lace Timothv moved from 
Connecticut, — settling later in Brookfield, 
Vt.. where he was a farmer for many years, 
and where he died, in 1824, aged ninety years. 
He was friendly with the founders of Dart- 
mouth College who, also, came from Connec- 
ticut to Hanover, and he took a li\-ely inter- 
est in that institution. Seven children were 
born to Norman Smith. One son, Hiram, 
for whom the subject hereofiis named, died 
young. The others were: Sereno, Hiram .\.'s 
father; F.lvira; Alonzo; Lorenzo; Lavinia, and 
Warren II. 

Elvira married Hem-y Leslie, and reared a 
large family. She died at the age of eighty. 
Alonzo was a prominent physician and busi- 
ness man of Randolph, \'ermont. He oper- 
ated the woolen mills of Gaysville and North- 
field. He died at the age of sixty years, leav- 
ing five daughters and two sons. Lorenzo 
was a farmer, and went to California, in 1849. 
He served in the Civil War. He died in 
Brookfield, Vt,, leaving two daughters and 




EDSON P. GILSON 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



283 



one son. Lavinia married William Lease, and 
died in middle life, childless. Warren H. was 
for many years a prominent and successful at- 
torney in Rutland, dying there at the age of 
seventy-five years, and lea\'ing' a widow, son 
and daughter. 

Sereno Smith, father of Hiram A., was born 
in Brooktield, Vt., December 3, 1803. He was 
a farmer in Randolph, and afterward in \\'ash- 
ington, Vermont. In 1823, he married Han- 
nah Smith who was, however, of an entirely 
different family. She died in 1862, at the age 
of sixty-three years. He died at the age of 
seventy-seven, and both are buried at Ran 
dolph Center. They were the parents of seven 
children. One, Adelaide, died in infancy. 
Lucy died when eighteen years old. Sophia 
married W. S. Buck, and left one son, who 
lives in Randolph. Susan married William 
W^ood, of Randolph. She dietl some years 
ago, leaving' one son, Charles E. Wood, of 
Boston. Marcis P. is the wife of L. B. Smith, 
of Castleton. Hiram A., the subject of this 
sketch, and Dan B., were the only sons. The 
latter has lived in New York City many years, 
and is a banker, and member of the Produce 
Exchange. 



CDSON P. GILSON, one of the pro- 
gressive business men and citizens of 
Rutland, Vermont, whose portrait is 
presented on the opposite page, was for many 
years engaged in marble producing, but at the 



present time is president of the Killington Na- 
tional Bank of Rutland, besides being promi- 
uentl}- identified with other business enter- 
prises. He is a son of John and Lucy 
(Stearns) Gilson, and was born in Reading, 
Vermont, October 5, 1839. He is descended 
from John and Sarah Gilson, who were the 
first to estaljlish the familv in this country. 

John Gilson, Jr., the great-grandfather of 
Edson P., was born in Groton, Massachusetts, 
;\Iay 12, 1726. On January 19, 1764, he mar- 
ried Prudence Lawrence, of Groton, who was 
in the fiftli generation of descent from John 
Lawrence, of Watertown, Massachusetts. 

John Gilson. the father of our subject, was 
l.iorn in Rindge, New Hampshire, July i, 
1798, and was a youth when he removed with 
his father to Reading, Windsor county, Ver- 
mont. His father, Abel Gilson, was a sturdy 
old pioneer of that district. John Gilson mar- 
ried Lucy Stearns March 31, 1831, and among 
their children was Edson P., of whom we 
write. 

Edson P. Gilson, after attending the public 
schools for some time, took a course of study 
in Woodstock Listitute and later was a stud- 
ent at Chester Academy. He was engaged 
in teaching school for five years. Li 1862 
he secured the position of bookkeeper in the 
Bank of Rutland, and subsequently accepted 
the position of cashier of the First National 
Bank of Springfield, Vermont, serving in that 
capacity from 1864 to 1866. In June, 1865, 
in company with Charles Clement and Far- 
rand Parker, he purchased a large marble- 
quarry property at West Rutland, continuing 



2S4 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



in tlic marhle I)usiness for more than twenty 
years. At that time lie also took up his resi- 
dence in Rutland, where he has since con- 
tinued to live. Upon the organization of the 
Killintjton National Bank of Rutland, ^Ir. 
Gilson was chosen \-ice-president and served 
in th;it cajjacity until he was made president, 
an olilcc he still fills. He was a trustee of the 
graded schools of Rutland for many years, 
evincing an earnest interest in all that per- 
tained to educational advancement. Relig- 
iously, he is a member of the Episcopal 
church, and has been a \estr\'mau for more 
than twenty years. He has been trustee of 
the X'ermont State Insane Asylum, member 
and treasurer of the board of trustees of the 
Diocese of Vermont ; and trustee and treas- 
urer of the Rutland Hospital. Politically, Mr. 
Gilson has been a Repul)licau since the incep- 
tion of the party. 

Mr. (iilson was united in marriage in Ttuie, 
1865, to Anna F.. Clement, of Rutland. After 
her death, he formed a second marriage, Feb- 
ruary I, 1877, with Harriet E. Morgan, of 
Xew York City, and they are the parents of 
two children, namely: Robert Morgan, born 
January 20, 1878; and John Lawrence, who 
was born October 26, 1881. Robert Morgan 
Gilson, who is now a first lieutenant in the 
U. S. Marine Corps, served as second lieuten- 
ant in the ^Marine Corps during the Spanish- 
American War; he received his commission 
as first lieutenant in April, 1899, and is now in 
the Philippine Islands, being stationed at 
Cavite. 



J-- — ' RASTUS HIBBARD PHELPS, a 
P manufacturer, of Fair Haven, \'er- 

mont. is a well known citizen of that 
place. He was born in Ticonderoga, New 
York, January 16, 1839, and is a son of Eras- 
tus and Margaret (Hibbard) I'helps, and a 
grandson of Elnathan and Phoebe (Tuttle) 
Phelps. 

Elnathan Phelps was a native of Orwell, 
\'ermont, where he followed farming. His 
marriage with Phoebe Tuttle resulted in the 
birth of ten children, who grew to maturity. 
Seven were sons, and three, daughters. Eras- 
tus Phelps, father of the subject hereof, was 
born in Orwell. \'t.. in 1804. and died at the 
age of seventy-six years. He, too, was a 
farmer. He was joined in wedlock with Mar- 
garet Hibbard, a daughter of John and Abi- 
gail (Merriman) Hibbard. respected citizens 
of Orwell. Margaret came of a family noted 
for its extreme longevity. She had one 
brother who lived to be ninety-six years of 
age, and another was ninety-four years old. 
She was born, November 23. 1804. and lived 
ninety-one years, five months, and thirteen 
days. She died May 6, 1896. -The parents 
of Erastus Hibbard Phelps were married 
March 15, 1827. in Orwell, Vermont, and 
celebrated their golden wedding, in 1877. ^^ 
was the occasion of the reunion of many rela- 
ti\es and friends, and was a most joyful gath- 
ering. The suliject hereof read an appropri- 
ate poem of his own composition. 

Erastus Hibbard Phelps took a preparatory 
course in the Troy Conference Academy, and 
graduated from Middlebury College, in 1861, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



285 



after which he taught, for several terms. He 
served in tlie war, as paymaster's clerk, for 
about three years, in the quartermaster's de- 
partment, first in the South, and then on the 
plains. 

In April, 1867, he left Denver, Colorado 
and went to Fair Ha\'en, Vt., where he ac- 
cepted a position as bookkeeper for Adams & 
Allen, marble dealers, remaining with them 
for two or three years. He then attended a 
law school, in Albany, from which he grad- 
uated, and immediately thereafter began the 
practice of his profession, in Fair Haven, with 
his cousin, J. B. Phelps. From 1872 to 1891, 
he was cashier of the First National Bank of 
Fair Haven. About the year 1891, he went 
to Minnesota to look after his milling inter- 
ests, remaining in that state and in Iowa, until 
1893. He then returned to his home in Fair 
Haven, at Number 14, Washington street, 
where he settled, before his marriage. His 
father and mother were living with him at 
that time. In 1896, "The Vermont Clock 
Company" was incorporated, and Mr. Phelps 
was appointed its secretary and treasurer. 

On October 19, 1875, Mn. Phelps was 
united in matrimony with Mary E. Miller, of 
Millersburg, Minn. She was born in Hamp- 
ton, N. Y., and is a daughter of Robbins and 
Mary E. (Barber) Miller, — both of whom are 
deceased. Mrs. Phelps' grandfather Miller 
was the founder of the Second Advent Faith, 
(if which he was a strong advocate. He was 
a fine lecturer, and also served as captain in 
the\\'ar of 1812. Airs. Phelps has one brother, 
William R. Miller, in Minneapolis, Minn., 



who was associated with Mr. Phelps in the 
milling lousiness. 

The subject of this sketch is a master Ma- 
son. In past years lie has been a Republican, 
in politics, and was in the legislature, in 1896, 
and a member of the last constitutional con- 
\-ention, held in 1870. He was the pul)lisher 
and editor of the "Fair Haven Journal," for 
tAvo )'ears, — from 1869 to 1871. He has been 
a member of the board of trustees of Middle- 
bury College, for several years. In religious 
association, he is a member and deacon of 
the Congregational church. ]\Ir. Phelps 
spends his summers on his farm, about two 
miles from his present residence. It is in New 
York State and contains one hundred and 
forty acres, being the farm formerly owned 
by Mrs. Phelps" grandfather, \\'illiam Miller. 
Mr. and ]\Irs. Phelps have two sons: Paul 
Harold, who is twenty-one years old, stands 
six feet two inches high, and is at present a 
salesman in New York City; and Philip 
Max Miller, who is a bright youth of thirteen 
years. Prior to her marriage, Mrs. Phelps 
taught in Carlton College, Northfield, Minn., 
and also in .Sydney, Ohio. 




RS. :\IARCIA ANN REED, of Fair 

Haven, \'ermont, is the widow oi 

the late Corril Reed, who died at 

Fair Haven, where he located fifty years ago. 

Corril Reed was born in ]\Ioriah, N. Y., 

December 14, 1823, and was a son of Levi 

and Martha (Ranney) Reed, — beginning life 



286 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



as a farmer. At a later period he served five 
years as clerk in a dry goods store at Moriah, 
X. Y.. and then moved to Fair Haven, \'er- 
mont, where, on .\|)ril 19, 1849, he hegan his 
mercantile career by opening a small general 
store, lie snl)se(|uenlly dealt e\clu^i\elv in 
llour. and was the only Hour merchant in that 
town, suijplying both the wholesale and retail 
trades. Later in life, he devoted his time and 
attention to coal and lumber. He was a Repub- 
lican, politically, and was a man of much prom- 
inence. He served as town clerk lin all) thir- 
teen years: and represented the town of Fair 
Ifaven in the State Legislature for three 
terms. He also served as selectman, justice of 
the peace, etc. He was in Alontpelier in 1864, 
when St. Albans was raided bv the Confeder- 



whoni the subject hereof is the eldest living. 
The mother of these children died when she 
was only twenty-eight years old, and Marcia 
was seven years of age. The father formed a 
second union, wedding Harriet Ann Hub- 
liru-d. who bore him thirteen children, and is 
still li\ing. She resides upon the old farm 
in Deerfield, Mass., where Benjamin Frank- 
lin Reed died, September 21st, 1891, aged 
ninety-four years and five months. He re- 
tained his faculties of both body and mind 
most remarkably, until his last illness. His 
widow is now eighty-six years old, and is still 
a bright old lady, much beloved by all. Of 
the nineteen children born to Benjamin F. 
Bridges, eleven were sons, and eight, daugh- 
ters. Four died young and fifteen grew up. 



ates from Canada. He was a lifelong mem- Eunice Elizabeth died at the age of fourteen, 
ber of the Congregational church, and served ' and one son, Hul)bard Clapp. dieil when twen- 



as deacon. He was also an active temper- 
ance worker, and served several vears as Sun- 
day school superintendent. 

Corril Reed died November 6, 189J, leav- 
ing his widow with one son. Rolland C On 
June 13, 1848, he was united in marriage 
with the subject (if this sketch, who was then 
Marcia .\nn Bridges. At the time that Airs, 
i-ieed was married ( w hich was nearly fifty-two 
years ago), in her father's family there were 
eleven children, six sons, and five daughters. 
Those eleven children are living at the pres- 
ent time. Airs. I\eed is a daughter of Ben- 
jamin Franklin and Eunice (Clapp) Bridges, 
her mother being a native of Deerfield, Alass., 
and her father, of Hardwick, in the same state. 
They were the parents of six children, of 



ty-three years old. The other thirteen are 
living. Mrs. Reed has two brothers, and one 
sister. One brother, Benjamin Franklin 
Bridges, Jr., was a general of the Massachu- 
setts state militia, and has been warden of the 
Charlestow n ( Mass.) State Prison, for the last 
six years. Mrs. Reed has one son, Rolland 
C, and an adopted daughter, Emma L., wlm 
married PL W. Hubbard, of Greenfield, Alass., 
and they now reside at Siloam Springs, 
Arkansas. They have three sons. 

Rolland C. Reed left school in 1874, antl, 
for fi\e years, was engagetl in the printing 
business. In the winter c^f 1877, he "took a 
course in a business college at I^ochester. X. 
Y., and then 1)ecame associated in mercantile 
pursuits with his-father, which line he has fol- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



287 



lowed ever since. This lousiness was estab- 
lished, some twenty-four years ago, l.)y his 
father, Corril Reed, who purchased the con- 
cern of William C. Kittredge. At a later pe- 
riod, Rolland C. was taken in as a partner, and 
the firm name was changed to Corril Reed & 
Son. Upon the death of the senior member 
of the firm, the style was altered to that of 
Rolland C. Reed, and the business was carried 
on by him alone. In January, 1899, the Reed 
Coal Company was formed, of which Mr. 
Reed is treasurer and business manager. This 
company deals in coal, lumber, cement, etc., 
at Fair Haven. The business formerly car- 
ried on Ij)' his father was located in the O. A. 
Peck brick block, which was burned down 
in the spring of 1899. Upon the same loca- 
tion, Corril Reed had built a flour, grain, and 
feed store, thirty-three years before. 

On June 6, 1881, Rolland C. Reed was 
joined in marriage with Mary A. McCaw, of 
Norwich, N. Y., a daughter of Deacon James 
McCaw. now a retired citizen of Norwich. 
Mr. and Mrs. Reed have three children: An- 
nie Franklin ; James Corril ; and Rolland Les- 
lie. Annie is a young lady of seventeen, and 
attends the Fair liaven graded schools, being 
a member of the class of 1900. James Corril 
is fourteen years of age, and is also attending 
school. Rolland Leslie is a bright boy of 
eleven years. Rolland C. Reed is, politically, 
a stanch Rej)ublican, and has served ten years 
on the countv conunittee, but has declined at 
all times to run for office. He is a member 
of the Congregational church and Sunday 
school, and has been secretarv and treasurer 



of the latter, for fourteen years. He and his 
family reside at Number 59, Prospect street, 
at the old house where his parents settled more 
than twenty-five years ago. 

Mr. Reed believes in home industry. He is 
one of the founders of the Clock Works, of 
which he is a director and a prominent stock- 
holder. He was, for several years, a director 
and treasurer of the Western A'ermont Agri- 
cultural Society, but resigned in 1898. For 
six years Mr. Reed has been a director and 
treasurer of the cemetery association, of 
which his father was also a director. He has 
a powder horn carried by his great-great- 
grandfather. Colonel Isaac Bridges, during 
the French and Indian \\'ar. It was used in 
the battles of Ticonderoga, and Crown Point. 
He also has in his cabinet of relics, a lath taken 
from the house of John Daniel Reed, a grand- 
son of John Reed, who was an officer under 
Cromwell, and who subsequently settled in 
Norvvalk, Connecticut. This house was built 
early in the year 1700, and is in a state of good 
preservation at the present time. 

Rolland C. Reed is in the eighth generation 
of the direct line of descent from John Reed. 



B 



R. HIRAM LEVI MANCHES- 
TER, an able physician and sur- 
geon, of Pawlet, Rutland county, 
\^ermont, has. successfully pursued his chosen 
a\-ocation, for the past twent\- years. During 
that time his practice has increased from a 
small office patronage at first, to an extensive 



288 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



business in tlie locality in which he resides. 
He numbers anion^' his patrons not onlv 
many of the best citizens of I'awlet, but is 
frequently called on to attend patients in 
neighboring towns and counties. He de- 
votes his whole attention to general practice, 
having had valuable experience in that branch 
of his profession. 

Dr. Manchester is a native of Hampton, 
New York, where his birth occurred Decem- 
ber 28, 1855. He had a good common school- 
ing, up to his sixteenth year. This was suj)- 
plemented l)y one year at Castleton Seminarv, 
and one year at the University of Vermont, in 
Burlington. Young Manchester then decided 
to fit himself for the noble profession to which 
his life is devoted. In order to prepare him- 
self in a lltting manner, he attended the Uni- 
\'ersity of New York, graduating from the 
medical department of that institution, in 
1879. 

In June of the same year, Dr. Manchester 
launched forth as a physician and surgeon at 
Pawlet, \'ermont. which is still his home. 
On July 8, 1879, he was joined in marriage 
with Flora A. Bartliolomew, an attractive 
young lady, of \\'hitehall, New York. Mrs. 
Manchester is a daughter of Harry and Annis 
(Benjamin) Bartholomew. Her mother died 
in 1865, leaving three daughters, besides Mrs. 
Manchester. The youngest of these was but 
eight years old. The father of these children 
is still living. He is now nearing his eight- 
ieth milestone. 

I )r. and Mrs, Manchester ha\e two chil- 
dren, Paul K. and Hazel A. The former is a 



student in the Granville High School. He is 
a bright, promising lad. The latter is a charm- 
ing child of seven years. She is handsome, 
bright and winning. Dr. Manchester is a son 
of Le\i W. and i^\elyn (Shaw) Manchester, 
and a grandson of W elcome and I-ydia (West) 
Manchester. 

\\'elcome Manchester was a native of Con- 
necticut, where he was born about the year 
1798. He dieil in Whitehall. New York, in 
1858. His marriage with l.ydia West resulted 
in the birth of nine or ten children. These chil- 
dren all grew to manhood and womanhood. 
All married and had families, except two of 
the daughters. One son and one daughter are 
still living, namely: Alfred, a prosperous 
farmer, in Minnesota, now eighty-four years 
old : and Harriet, w ho still resides at Hamp- 
ton, New York. 

Levi A\'. Manchester was born in White- 
hall, New York. October 24, 1827. In 1847, 
he was joined in marriage with Evelyn Shaw\ 
an accomplished daughter of Hiram Shaw, of 
Hampton, New "N'ork. The young folk fol- 
lowed farming, and were blessed with a fam- 
ily of fi\e children. \iz. : Hiram Levi, the 
subject of this sketch; L\dia ; tjeorge T. ; 
Owen L. : and Florance E. Lydia is the wife 
of Williams H. Billings, a farmer in West 
Ha\en, \'ermont. George T. resides in W'il- 
liamsville. \'erniont. lie has ;i wife, one 
daughter and two sons. 

Owen L. is a resident of F.air Haven. \'er- 
mont. lie has a good jiosition in the wire 
works of that ])lace. I'dor.ance F. is leading 
an ad\enturous life. He is now located in 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



289 



Dawson Cit)-, in the Klondike region, where 
lie is well, and hopeful of success. Dr. ]\Ian- 
chester's father passed to his final rest, March 
II, 1898. He is still survived by his widow, 
who is now seventy-four years old. She is 
still active in both mind and body, and is a 
well preserved lady, for her years. 

Although Dr. Manchester's professional life 
has been a busv one, lie has found time for 
other pursuits. He is a Mason of high degree, 
being a member of the commandery. In poli- 
tics, he is a Republican, but allows no ambi- 
tion for office to interfere with the obligations 
of his practice. He has, however, been fav- 
ored with the confidence of his chosen party, 
and served in the lower house of the leg- 
islature, in 1894, and in the senate, in 1896. 
He is an active member of the First Congre- 
gational church, of which he is clerk and 
treasurer. When exhausted by his arduous 
duties, the Doctor makes a journey to recu- 
perate his strength. He has traveled in the 
West and South, and \-isited the \Vorld's Fair, 
in Chicago. 




TIS FREDERICK SMITH, a worthy 
citizen of Brandon, Rutland county, 
\'ermont, has filled various positions 
in life. He has been in turn a printer's devil, 
a compositor, and a farmer ; for the last ten 
years, he has turned his attention to collect- 
ing bills and accounts, and has done a large 
amount of legal work. 

Mr. Smith is a son of Otis and Abilena 



(Stearns) Smith, and a grandson of Asahel 
Smith, of Lanesboro, Massachusetts. His 
maternal grandfather was Ebenezer Stearns, 
also of Lanesboro, who married Anne Hyde, 
of Norwich, Connecticut. 

Otis Smith, father of Otis Frederick, was 
born in Lanesboro, Massachusetts, about the 
year 1784. His death occurred at the same 
place, in 1829, from lung fever. His mar- 
riage with Abihena Stearns resulted in the 
birth of seven children, namely : Claudius R. 
Maria Louisa; John Adams; Myron Stearns 
Frances ; Lorenzo Dow ; and Otis Frederick 
the suliject of this biography, who was born 
after his father's death. 

Claudius R. was born in June, 18 18. He 
went into the Civil War as chaplain of the Sec- 
ond Reg., Vermont Vol. Infantry. Since the 
war, he has been in the United States Govern- 
ment's employ in the treasury department. He 
was also detailed to look after and supervise 
the government schools. He was a successful 
teacher before the war, and was a graduate of 
Middlebury College, in the class of 1845. He 
now resides in Anacostia, D. C, and although 
eighty-two years old, he is still on duty in the 
U. S. treasury department. He has not been 
absent on account of sickness, in ten years. 

Maria Louisa married Virgil M. Thomp- 
son, of Hudson, Ohio. She died in 1838. 
John Adams was born about the year 1822. 
He went west to Clay county, Kansas. He lo- 
cated at Fancy Creek, Kansas, and died about 
the year 1884. Myron Stearns went to Cali- 
fornia, during the gold fever, in 1849, and, 
two years later, embarked for the Sandwich 



290 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Islands. He died on board a vessel, and was 
buried at sea. Frances married Hiram Baker, 
of Franklin county. New York. She died in 
Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1894, or 1895. 
Two daughters and one sun still survive her, 
residents of the same pkice. Lorenzo Dow 
died in early youth. 

After the death of her first husi)and, Otis 
Frederick's mother married Jeremiah Rock- 
well, of Cornwall, \'ermont. Air. Rockwell 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He 
participated in the battles of Bunker Hill, Sar- 
atoga, etc. Two children blessed this second 
union, one son, Cyrus S., and one daughter, 
Victoria Elizabeth. 

Cyrus S. Rockwell was born in Stam- 
bridge. Province of Quebec, al)out the year 
1838. He was a soldier in the ranks of the 
Union army during the Civil War. He served 
in the .?n(l Vi. Infantry under McClellan, and 
was in the battles of the first Bull Run, the 
Wilderness, and Antietam. He is a pensioner 
of the government, and resides at East Dick- 
inson, Franklin county, New York. Victoria 
Elizabeth Rockwell was born in 1840, in 
Stambridge, Province of Quebec, Canada, as 
was, also, her brother. She married ^^'illiam 
H. Blanchard, and enjoys the distinction of 
being the youngest member of the Daughters 
of the .American Revolution, in the United 
States. The mother of Otis Frederick died in 
West Bangor, N. Y., aged sixty-seven years. 
She is buried beside her second husband, at 
that place. 

Otis Frederick Smith was born in Lanes- 
boro, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, July 



30, 1829. He began his career at fifteen years 
of age, as printer's devil, inking the type on 
the "Vermont Observer," in Middlebury, Vt., 
arid, subse(|ucnllv. did similar work in East 
Poultney, \'t., after the "X'ermont (Jbscrver" 
office bad removed there. He worked in the 
same office where Horace Greeley learned his 
trade. Mr. Smith finished learning his trade, 
in 1846. During the Dorr Rebellion, he went 
to Prosidence, Rhode Island. In less than 
a vear the pajier upon which he was at work 
was discontinued. It was the state paper of 
the Dorrite party, which subsided, but the em- 
ployees were all ])aid. The subject hereof was 
a compositor imtil he was twenty-two years 
old. He was later engaged in book work, in 
Buffalo, New York, in the "Buffalo Commer- 
cial Ad\-ertiser" office. He spent some time in 
the \Vest, and was in Ohio for a brief period, 
but finally returned to Brandon, Franklin 
county. New York. He then conducted a 
small farm for his mother and step-father for 
a few years. 

February 2, 185 1, Mr. Smith was joined in 
marriage with Lucinda Baker, a daughter of 
Jason Baker, and a cousin of Mary (Baker) 
Eddy, who was the founder of Christian 
Science. l'"i\e children were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Smith, namely: Jason Baker; Mary D. ; 
Tluu'za Frances: Ruby Lucinda: and Fred- 
erick Otis. Jason Baker Smith was born 
June 28, 1853. He is an engineer and ma- 
chinist, in Brandon, A'ermont. He has been 
twice married and has two children, one by 
each marriage. Mary D. Smith married Jul- 
ius McArthur, and resides at the home of the 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



293 



subject hereof, at Brandon, Vermont. She 
has one daughter, Rub_v, aged eleven years. 
Thurza Frances Smith married Arthur June, 
and also resides with her father. She has one 
son, Carroll, and one daughter, Carrie. The 
latter is now a young lady. Ruby Lucinda 
Smith married Charles E. Watts. She died 
in Rutland, X'ermont, in 1896. Frederick Otis 
Smith is employed on a street railway in San 
Francisco, California. He has a wife and one 
son, Herbert Frederick, a boy of five years. 

Mr. Smith is a Republican, and was eight 
years in Uncle Sam's ser\ice, as mail agent 
between Ogdensburg, New York and St. 
Albans, \'ermont. He went to Brandon, in 
1869, and for eight years, was agent for the 
Brandon Kaolin Paint Company. A part of 
this time he spent on the road, as the com- 
pany enjoyed a large wholesale business. He 
then turned his attention as a notary puldic to 
collecting bills and accounts, and for the past 
ten years has done much legal business in that 
line, in Rutland county. He affiliates with the 
Masonic fraternity from the blue lodge to 
Knights Templar. Religiously, Mr. Smith is 
a liberal Baptist, and of late, has worshiped 
with the Congregationalists in Brandon, 
\'ermont. 

Mr. Smith in starting out on his career, left 
his home at Stambridge, Canada, with all his 
possessions in a small satchel. He was a little 
more than two days in reaching Middlebury, 
Vermont, one hundred miles from home, on 
foot. There he began to learn the printer's 
trade. His long pilgrimage has been full of 
vicissitudes of fortune. He met with a serious 



injury to his right arm, and the maimed mem- 
ber is almost useless. His life work has been 
one of indefatigable effort, crowned at last 
with pronounced success. 




ARSHALL TARBELL, manufac- 
turer of hay rakes, hoe and fork 
handles, jiggered chair stock and 
lumber, in the town of Mount Holly, Vt., has 
the satisfaction of knowing that he has con- 
trolled more business than any other man in 
the town and has furnished employment to 
more men. He was born in 1829, in the town 
of Mount Holly, Rutland county, Vermont, 
very close to the site of his present residence. 
His education was obtained in the public 
school ; although he did not succeed in get- 
ting a good education, reading, writing, and 
arithmetic being his only studies, he has been 
ambitious and persevering in the various pur- 
suits in which he has been engaged. After 
leaving school he worked for his father until 
he became of age, working in the mill, on the 
farm, and also in the starch factory, one sea- 
son for $10.00 per month, boarding himself. 
In order to make extra money he followed 
trapping and selling skins during leisure mo- 
ments. On arriving- at his majority, he en- 
gaged in business with his father, and was as- 
sociated with the elder Mr. Tarbell until that 
gentleman's death. Mr. Tarbell's brother was 
also a partner in this business, but on the 
death of his father and brother, our subject 
took charge of the mill, adding to it and 



294 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



improving it in every possible manner. He 
sells large quantities of pulp wood yearlv. In 
the early days, he bought the starch factory 
and remodeled it for manufacturing rakes and 
handles, operating the same several years 
when it burned, causing a total loss. ]Mr. Tar- 
bell has met with many reverses, but with in- 
domital)le pluck he has surmounted all ob- 
stacles and won measured success. 

Twice has Mr. Tarbell's plant been burned 
down, and neither time would he accept as- 
sistance, being too proud and self-reliant to 
receive the profifered aid. His circular mill 
shop, which is run by water power, is 
operated by two turbines of 50 horse power, 
and is ecjuipped with the best machinery for 
the manufacture of rakes, handles for hoes 
and forks, jiggered chair stock, and lumber, 
having an annual output of 500,000 feet. It 
was started seventy-five years ago, and has 
been in our subject's family for over seventy- 
five years. The mill is regarded as one of 
the steadiest industries of the town. It has 
furnished employment for from ten to forty 
men for the past fifty years. For conven- 
ience, the mill is connected with the turning 
shops, and is equipped to turn out all kinds of 
first-class work. 

Mr. Tarbell buys timber in large quanti- 
ties. He also owns large tracts of timber 
land, and has already cleared 1,000 acres of 
all kinds of timber, such as spruce, hemlock, 
and several varieties of hardwood. The village 
of Tarbclbille is supported by his different 
undertakings, aufl he has done all of the 
building. Among the numerous monuments 



to his energy and Enterprise stand the mill and 
shops, a store, blacksmith shop, ice house, 
wagon and tool shop, eight tenements, num- 
erous 1)arns, a hall, store liouse, cheese fac- 
tory, two carriage houses, and his own beau- 
tiful residence and grounds. All of the build- 
ings are of a solid type, pretty design, and well 
cared for. The village of Tarbellville is one 
of the prettiest in the county. In fact, every- 
thing has been done in the thorough manner 
so characteristic of the man whose name it 
bears. 

The cheese factory is of a very modern type 
and annually turns out 110,000 pounds of the 
finest full-cream cheese. To this branch of 
the business our subject gives his personal at- 
tention, attending to the selling and market- 
ing of the product. He sells mostly in Connec- 
ticut, Massachusetts and Ohio markets, where 
his cheese is justly famous. On his large farm 
are employed a r umber of men who look 
after his agricultural interests. In his rake 
business he uses 100,000 feet of white ash. 
He has a large export trade, and his goods 
have always been far above the market price, 
owing to their superior quality. Although 
he never employs a salesman, his products 
are always sold without trouble. Unfortu- 
nately, in recent years, Mr. Tarbell has not en- 
joyed good health, and although he really is 
not tit to attend to his business, he man- 
fully sticks to his post and works when a less 
courageous man would take to his bed. He 
subsists almost entirely on fruits and vege- 
tables. 

Mr. Tarbell married Finette E. Chapman. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



295 



They had one cliild, Amy L., an accomphshed 
young lady. She died, in 1883, aged twenty- 
nine years, and was mourned by all who knew 
her. Mr. Tarbell has always been a public 
spirited man, but has not been active in pol- 
itics. He is a Republican but would never 
accept office. As a trul)- representative, enter- 
prising citizen of Rutland countw the pub- 
lishers of this volume take pleasure in pre- 
senting Mr. Tarbell's portrait on a foregoing 
page. 




ATTAIN LEMUEL W. PAGE, who 
j l)ears a most honorable record for serv- 
' ice in the Union army during the 
ci\il war, began life's battle at a very imma- 
ture age, and his career up to the time of his 
retirement was marked bv the greatest indus- 
try and success. He is now an esteemed citi- 
zen of Brandon, Rutland county, Vermont, 
and enjoys life at an age of almost eighty 
years. He was born in Burlington, Vermont, 
April 30, 1 82 1, and is a son of Lemuel and 
Clarissa (Whitney) Page. 

Mr. Page's ancestry is traceable back to the 
year 1256, and is of English stock. Of his 
ancestors, four brothers came to America 
from their native country, and settled in as 
many different states, namely : New York, 
Massachusetts, Vermont, and Virginia. Lem- 
uel Page, the father of Lemuel \\'., was born 
in Rindge, N. H., in 1781, and died in 1826, 
at the age of forty-five years. He was a sol- 
dier in the War of 1812, and participated in 
the battle of Plattsburg. He was united in 



marriage with Clarissa Whitney, a daughter of 
Dr. Isaiah Whitney, she, too, being a native 
of Rindge, New Hampshire. Of their issue 
two still are living, namely : Harriet, the 
widow of Leonard John Mott, who is now 
eighty-two years old; and Lemuel W'., the 
subject of this sketch. After the demise of 
her husband, Mrs. Page married Joseph Jones, 
a widower with three children, in Burlington, 
Vt., and they removed to his large farm in 
New Hampshire. Of the children born to 
them, Mrs. Clarissa Hulburt is now living, 
making her home in Cambridge, Massachu- 
setts. Lemuel W.'s mother died in 1843, aged 
sixty years, and lies buried in the cemetery 
at Lyndeboro, New Hampshire. 

Lemuel W. Page was but seven years of age 
when his mother formed a second matrimonial 
alliance, and wjien they remcn-ed to the farm 
at Lyndeboro, N. H., he worked thereon until 
he was fifteen years of age. He then went into 
a store in Nashua, N. H., and from there went 
to Peterboro, New Hampshire. At the age 
of twenty-one he went into business for him- 
self in Wilton, N. H., and remained there one 
year. He then sold out and went to Burling- 
ton, \t., where he continued in business until 
the war broke out. He then sold out and 
went into the army. Notwithstanding his 
active life, his health is unimpaired, except 
for defective hearing, and he still manifests an 
intelligent interest in all that transpires in the 
world at large. He is a pleasant conversa- 
tionalist, and especially is he interesting when 
he relates the incidents and experiences which 
marked his service in the Union army. He 



296 



BOOK Op- BIOGRAPHIES 



was a man who entered the military service versity, and at the College of Physicians and 



from motives of pure patriotism. 



j Surgeons, Xcw York City, graduating from 



Although he was a disciplinarian, he never [ the former in June. 1866. His first practice 



forgot the hovs under his connnand, and he 
looked to their interests constantly, notwith- 
standing the fact that this, at times, brought 
him into conflict with the surgeons, or with 
otiticers of higher rank. ]\lany a ])oor soldier 
would have died for lack of proper treatment 
had he not interfered, lie entered the serv- 
ice from Burlington, \'t., in 1862, and was 
mustered out as captain of Company C, 12th 
Reg., Vermont Vol. Infantry. He recei\-ed 
one hundred votes for the captaincy of the 
company from as fine and true a body of men 
as ever wore a uniform, anil tliey became his 
des'oted followers. ( )ut of lo\e for his men, 
he turned aside from all ])romoti<)ns, and loy- 
alty to the boys was a sacred obligation with 
him. 

Captain Page was twent\-one vears of age. 
when in Peterboro, N. H.. he was united in 
marriage with Susan Saunders, of that i)lace. 
ancl she l)ore him two children. Frank W. and 
Clara. Frank W. was born in I'last Wilton, 
N. H., August 24, 1843, and received his pri- 
mary education in tine private schools of Bur- 
lington, antl at the Union high schools or Bur- 
lington Academy. He entered the University 
of X'ermont in i860. He graduated therefrom 
in 1864, receiving the degree of .\. B.. and 
that of A. M. in 1869. He began the study of 
medicine during his junior year in college, and 
after graduation continued it in the office of 
Dr. Samuel White Thayer. He attended lec- 
tures in the medical <lepartment of the uni- 



was in St. Peter. Minn., and after remaining 
there one year, hv returned east in the fall of 
1867, and former a ])artnershi]) with Dr. Olin 
(i. Dyer, of Brandon, \ermont. While there 
he took a deep interest in educational mat- 
ters, and for several years was chairman of the 
town sciiool board. He ga\e u]) jirixate ]jrac- 
tice on May I, 1878, becoming lirst assistant 
phxsician on the medical staff of }iIcLean 
Asylum for the Insane, at Somerville, Alass., 
aufl he has since devoted his attention to nerv- 
ous and mental diseases. (_)n July i, 1879. he 
became superintendent of that institution, a 
position which he held until December of that 
year, when he relin(|uished it to open for its 
managers. Februar\- 1, 1880. the new .\ilams 
Xerxine Asvlum. at Jamaica Plain, ^lass.. 
an institution for ner\-ous people, not insane. 
He held the i)osition of superintendent and 
resident ])liysician thereof until May 13. 1885, 
w hen, after making the institution a great suc- 
cess, he declined a re-election. He has since 
served, however, on its board of consulting 
physicians. In May, 1885, he went to Boston 
to engage in practicing his specialty. In i88() 
he was elected by the board of trustees of 
Danxers Hosi)ital for the Insane, a member 
of the board of consulting ])liysicians. Janu- 
ary 1, 1897, he accepted the position of super- 
intendent of the \'ermont Insane .\syhun, at 
Waterlnu'y. \'t., where he remained two years 
and then resigned and remo\ed to Boston, 
Mass., where he is now in [iractice. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



297 



The second child Ixirn to Captain and Mrs. 
Page, Clara, is the wife of Charles H. Knapp, 
of Paterson, N. J. Mrs. Page was called to 
her reward in 1870, at the age of fifty-two 
years. 

On October 22, 1873, Captain Page formed 
a second matrimonial alliance, on this occa- 
sion with Carrie E. Hemenway, of Brandon, 
Vt., who was born in Ludlow, \'ermont. She 
is a lady known in Vermont by reason of her 
work on the "Gazetteer of the State of Ver- 
mont." The Captain, a one time Whig, is now 
a stanch supporter of the Republican party. 
He has been a member of the Grand Army of 
the Republic since the inception of that or- 
ganization. 




REDERICK HORTON FAR- 
RINGTON, president of the Brandon 
In\estment & Guarantee Company, and 
a representative fanner, was born in his pres- 
ent abode in Brandon, Vt., December 14, 
1851. His residence was built, in the sum- 
mer of 1799, by Hiram Horton, who was Mr. 
Farrington's great-great-uncle, on his moth- 
er's side. Mr. Horton deeded the place to the 
grandfather of the subject hereof (Captain 
Daniel Farrington), in 1808, and it has re- 
mained in the family ever since. 

Frederick Horton Farrington is a son of 
Franklin and Adelia (Horton) Farrington, a 
grandson of Captain Daniel and Lois (Drury) 
Farrington, and a great-grandson of Jacob 
Farrington. Jacob Farrington was a native 
of Wrentham, Massachusetts. Li 1786, when 



his son, Daniel, was thirteen years old, he lo- 
cated in A'ermont. He lived to the age of sev- 
enty-eight years and nine months. 

Captain Daniel Farrington was the young- 
est son of Jacob Farrington, who was an hum- 
ble but worthy citizen of New Canaan, Conn., 
where Daniel wasljorn. May 31, 1773. When 
but thirteen years old, he removed with his 
father's family to the new state of Vermont, 
then called the New Hampshire Grants. The 
family settled on Otter Creek, in the town of 
Neshobee (now Brandon), — one of the best 
agricultural sections of the state. In October, 
1784. the name of the place was changed to 
Brantlon (which is proltably a contraction of 
"Burnt-town"), after it was burned by the 
Lidians, who often visited the place in its early 
history. Here young Farrington was, for 
several years, a tiller of the soil. During those 
years of arduous Init honorable and ennobling 
labor, was laid the foundation of his success 
as a man. \\'ith a good constitution, an ath- 
letic frame, abounding vitality and abstemious 
habits he developed into a hardy and vigorous 
manhood. 

When twenty-one years old, he started out 
with his axe on his shoulder, and but four 
dollars in his pocket, having but few clothes, 
to make for himself a name and an inheritance 
for his posterity. He first purchased one hun- 
dred acres of land, up the river from Milton, 
in Cambridge borough, where he had stopped 
for a short time. This land was jnu'chased 
on credit, and in buying it, young Farrington 
assumed quite a responsibility, which he met 
promptly and resolutely by arduous toil in 



298 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



felling the forest. He did not remain there 
long, but was lured hack to his old associa- 
tions, and the alluvial flats of Otter Creek, at 
Brandon. Soon after his return, he married 
a Miss Drury (a dauijhtcr of El)enezcr Drury), 
ivho was a lady of most estinial)le character 
and of ;i worthy family. She will long be re- 
niemi)ered for her amiable dispositicm, mental 
endowments, and highly cultured tastes. Iter 
father was a pioneer settler in Pittsford, and 
by his three wives had twenty-se\-en children. 
Daniel Farrington's life was one of severe 
toil (wliich he counted no disgrace but an 
honor j down to 1808. From 1808 Lieutenant 
F^arrington, which title he had won in the mil- 
ilia of Brandon, entered upon a new life, and 
was called to take part in state and national 
aft airs. Idie ru]iture between the United 
States and tjreat Britain called Cajitain Far- 
rington to the border of Canada. May 30, 
1813, he was ordered by the Go\ernor of ^^er 
monl, to go to tiie line to assist in sustaining 
the famous "Embargo Law." He was sta- 
tioned at \\ ind Mill Point, near Rouse Point 

imder Daniel . In an earl\- encounter 

with the smuggling vessel named "Black 
Snake," several tnen were killed, and Captain 
Farrington was seriously wounded in both 
shoulders, and about his head. He was insen- 
sible for some time. He was in acti\e serv- 
ice to the clcjse of the war, and was com- 
missioned cajjtain, in .\i)ril, 1813. His com- 
mission is framed and hangs on the wall of 
Frederick Horton Farrington's home. At 
one time he was struck by a spent ball which 
plowed a groove in his scalp and left a dim- 



ple in his forehead. Although Captain Far- 
rington had shown a military tact and ability 
which would ha\e advanced him in army 
grades, yet he i)referred the peaceful life of 
a farmer. He was frequentlv, howe\er. called 
ujjoii Ii\ the citizens to serve in civil oftices, 
in which he manifested cai)acity and lidelity. 

He was a member of the constitutional con- 
\ention for the re\ision of the state constitu- 
tion. lla\ing lost his first wife, he was again 
uKU'ried in 184 J. His personal appearance 
w;is imposing. lie had a large and well-pro- 
])ortioned frame, and a noble countenance, 
which at once attracted attention and com- 
manded respect. His vigor of body and nu'nd 
remained unimpaired up to his death, on Oc- 
tober 7, 1865, at the age of ninety-two years, 
five months, and se\en days. He was a Jack- 
sonian Democrat, in politics. He reared two 
sons and one daughter, of whom Franklin, 
father of the subject hereof, was the onh- one 
w ho li\ eil to an advanced age. 

Franklin Farrington w'as born September 3, 
1806, and passed to his final rest in June, 
1892. He was twice married. Jamiary 23, 
1838, he wedded Adclia Horton, a daughter 
of Daniel Horton, of Hortonville, A'ermont. 
Fi\e children were born to this union. Among 
them are Ella, Frankie, and Frederick H., the 
subject of this sketch. Ella married James 
K. P. Cam]:)bell. He was named for James 
K. Polk, whose nephew he was. ^Irs. Camp- 
bell died in Paris, Texas, and was survived by 
two sons and two daughters. Frankie mar- 
ried John W. Alorrill, of Chicago, Illinois. 
They have two sons, and one daughter. Fred- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



299 



erick Horton Farrington's mother died in 
1870, aged fifty-two years. His father was 
again married ; in this instance lie was united 
with Mrs. Mary S. Denison, nee Stepliens. 
She is still living. 

Frederick Horton Farrington obtained a 
practical education in the graded schools, 
which he attended until he attained the age of 
eighteen years. He then remained at home 
with his parents, who were well along in 
years, — his father being fifty years old at the 
time of Frederick's birth. Sept»mber 10, 
1873, the subject hereof was joined in mar- 
riage with Ella Reynolds, of Brandon. Mrs. 
Farrington is a daughter of William W. and 
Louisa (Kebling) Reynolds. Her parents had 
three daughters. Her mother died when twen- 
ty-nine years old, and her father married 
Lucy Kebling, a sister of his first wife. One 
daughter blessed this second union. Her 
name is Isabel, now the widow of William T. 
Ripley. Mr. and Mrs. Farrington have been 
blessed with a family of five children, but were 
called upon to sustain the loss of two sons, 
and one daughter. The names of their chil- 
dren are : Franklin R. ; Edward Horton, w ho 
died at the age of sixteen months ; Wilfred 
Dyer, who died at the age of ten years ; Wil- 
liam Reynolds ; and Lucy, who died aged 
eight months. Franklin R. served five years 
as assistant bookkeeper in the Howard Na- 
tional Bank, of Burlington, Vermont. Wil- 
liam Reynolds, a youth of eighteen, is a stu- 
dent in the Norwich LTniversity, of Northfield, 
Vermont. Mr. Farrington is, politically, a 
stanch Republican. He has filled many and 



varied positions of trust in both county and 
town, such as selectman, road commissioner, 
water commissioner, etc. He also served as 
member of the State Board of Cattle Com- 
missioners, and was its chairman. He served 
in both branches of the legislature, as had both 
his father and grandfather. He joined the 
Vermont Horse Breeders' Association, and 
served as its secretary for six years. 

While in the State Senate, Mr. Farrington 
was one of the judiciary committee, and was 
chairman of the committee on banks. In the 
House he served on the railroad committee, 
and on the joint committee on asylums. He 
is a stockholder and director in four banks, — 
two national, and two savings, banks. These 
banks are in Brandon, Rutland, Proctor, and 
Vergennes. He is also trustee of funds of 
estates, which aggregate over two hundred 
thousand dollars. Mr. Farrington is the proud 
owner of the ancestral farm upon which he 
resides. This farm was also the birthplace of 
his father, the home of- his grandfather, and 
was first occupied by his great-grandfather, in 
1786. The house is one hundred years old, 
and the date of its erection, 1799, is emblaz- 
oned in gold figures upon it. 

The subject of this sketch has in his pos- 
session some rare relics, — among them be- 
ing his grandfather's commission as cap- 
tain, issued by President James Madison, 
and James Monroe, who was then secretary of 
war. Their own signatures are attached. He 
also has the deed of the homestead eiven to 
his grandfather, in 1808. His grandfather's 
muster rolls, and accounts and receipts kept 



.'iOO 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



during the War of 1812, are also in the pos- 
session of the subject hereof. 

Mr. Farrington lias devoted more than 
twenty years of iiis life to breeding fine Meri- 
no sheep. During this period he was a direc- 
tor of the \ermont Merino Sheep Breeders' 
Association, and a ])ortion of the time, its 
treasurer. The subject of liiis biography is 
a master ]\Iason. 




.EV. DANIEL EDWARD COFFEY, 
beloved pastor of St. Mary's Catholic 
'Church in Brandon, Rutland county, 
Vermont, is not only held in the highest 
esteem by his own parishoners, but is also a 
general favorite with members of other church 
denominations, as well as with non-professors 
of religion. 

Father CofTey is a native of East Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts. He is a son of Den- 
nis and Jdhanna (Hurley) Coffey, both of 
whom were natives of Cork, Ireland, where 
they spent their early lives, and were married. 
In 1839, they came to America, with their eld- 
est son, John. This son is still a resident of 
East Cambridge, where the parents settled 
soon after reaching America, ha\ing had a 
seven weeks' voyage on the ocean from 
Queenstown, to St. John's, New Brunswick. 

Dennis Coffey was a farmer, prior to his 
arrival in this country, and was possessed of 
small means. After locating in East Cam- 
bridge, he became a railroad em])Ioyee and 
continued in that line of work up to his sev- 



entieth year, when he was cut off by death, 
February 23, 1883. His beloved wife had 
died in 1873. They reared a large family of 
children, thirteen in all, eleven of whom were 
sons. The two daughters and four of the sons 
assumed matrimonial bonds. Six members 
of the family are still living: John, Dennis, 
William, Daniel E. (the subject hereof), Julia 
;ind Marv, 

John Coffey is a member of the police force 
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has a wife 
and eight children. Dennis Coffey is still a 
bachelor. He is a mine owner and operator 
in Arizona. William Coffey is station agent at 
Tufts College, Massachusetts. He has two 
children. Julia Coffey married Edward B. 
Cassidy, oi East Cambridge, Massachusetts. 
They have five children. Mr. Cassidy is a 
competent bookkeeper, employed on the Bos- 
ton & Manchester Railroad, ^lary Coffey 
married Edward Lalor, a railroad conductor, 
residing in Plattsburg, New York. They 
have a family of fi\'e children. 

Father Coffey was educated in the colleges 
at Boston and Montreal. He graduated from 
the latter in 1881, and was ordained December 
19, 1885. His first call was to the parish of 
Brandon, whither lie went, January I, 1886, 
as first assistant to Father J. C. McLaughlin. 
He remained there two years, and was then 
transferred to St. Peter's Catholic church of 
Rutland, as assistant to Father T. J. Gaffney, 
continuing there one year. His next work 
was at St. Albans, Vermont, where he tem- 
porarily took charge of that parish, during 
the absence of Vicar General Dronin, who 




>v 



^ 



^ 



4 



"«• 




BENJAMIN FRANKLIN UUNKLEE. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



303 



went abroad for his health. Father Coffey re- 
mained in charge of that parish for one year 
and seven months. Upon tlie return of Fath- 
er Dronin, the subject hereof spent five 
months abroad, visitino" nian\' points of inter- 
est in Ireland, Switzerland, England, France, 
and Italy. He returned from his interesting 
journey about Christmas, 1890, and spent the 
following year in Rutland, where he was again 
associated with Father Gaffney. 

Father Coffey was then made pastor of St. 
Anthony's church at \\'hite Ri\-er Junction, 
Vt., where he remained two years and four 
months. May 5, 1894, he was transferred to 
the more important charge in Brandon, as 
pastor of St. IMary's church, which station he 
still fills in a highly creditable manner. The 
first Catholic church in Brandon was a wood- 
en edifice erected in 1840, and the society was 
supplied with ministrations from Burlington. 
The first resident priest was Father Halpin, 
who took charge in 1859, and was pastor for 
a few years. He was succeeded by Father 
Casey, who remained in charge for eight 
years. The next priest was Father McLaugh- 
lin, who filled that pastorate for seventeen 
consecutive years. He was succeeded by 
Father Clark, who remained four years, and 
was, in turn, followed by Father Prevost, for 
an incumbency of two years. The last named 
was succeeded by the subject of this sketch. 

Their fine, large brick church in Brandon 
was erected under the supervision of Father 
Clark. The corner stone was laid September 
16, 1888, and the edifice was completed in less 
then two years. The priest's residence, al- 



though plain, is a most commodious and well 

built structure of brick, and was constructed 
about the year 1871, under the direction of 
Father Casey. Father Coffey is still a young 
man. With his robust health and fine phvs- 
i(|ue, combined with superior mental endow- 
ments and exceptional social qualities, he 
has every prospect of a long and useful career. 
He is a clergyman who believes in progress, 
and keeps fully abreast of the times. He is 
a man of great personal magnetism; through 
his attraction, mere acquaintances soon be- 
come close friends, and even strangers are 
drawn toward him. Not least among his win- 
ning qualities are his social characteristics and 
musical talents. 

Father Coffey is (|uite pleasantly situated 
in Brandon, where his efforts in behalf of the 
church are fully appreciated. 




^ENJAMIN FRANKLIN DUNK- 
''»r\ LEE, a retired ice dealer and farmer, 
residing on his farm just within the 
corporation of the city of Rutland, Vermont, 
is a highly respected and progressive citizen 
of that place, and, although he has long since 
passed the seventy-sixth mile stone, is hale 
and hearty, and has reason to believe he will 
live many years yet, for he comes of a family 
noted for extreme longevity. 

Mr. Dunklee was born in Rutland, August 
9, 1823, when Rutland was only a village. He 
is a son of Thaddeus Dunklee, who was born 
in Amherst, New Hampshire, in 1794, and 
died August i, 1859, and a grandson of Thad- 



304 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



deus Dunklee, who, in early life, was a pros- 
])frous tanner in the state of Xew Kami^shire, 
renioN'ing- later to Rutland. W-nnont. One of 
his sons, Ahel Dunklee, was horn in Am- 
herst. Xew Hampshire, in 1783, and died near 
the home of our snliject, at the very advanced 
age of ninety years; his wife died, in 1863, 
aged eighty-four years. Her maiden name 
was Ruth Wright, and she and her husliand 
lived on a farm in Xew Hampshire for many 
years, removing later to Xelson, X'ew Hamp- 
shire, where her death occurred. This 
worthy couple reared nine children, two sons 
and seven daughters, of whom four daughters 
and one son are still living, as follows: Lucia, 
I'.lmira. Louise, John ^\'right and Jane. 
Lucia, who was horn August 31, 1S08, is now 
in her ninety-first year. She is a most active, 
well-preser\ed lady for one of lier age, and 
is spending the sunset of life in the Old 
Ladies' Home. l^lnn'ra ( lUickman) is a 
widow lady, aged eighty \ears, residing in 
Pittsford, Rutland county. Louise is the wife 
of Ldward M. I'ennock, of Rutland. John 
Wright, a retired shoemaker, is now in his 
eighty-third }ear. and has lieen twice mar- 
ried. Jane followed the profession of teaching 
for many years, teaching her first school when 
only seventeen years old ; she is now seventy- 
eight years old. The aggregate age of these 
five is over 400 years, a record for longevity 
of which any family might he proud. 

Thaddeus Dunklee, father of our suhject, 
was joined in marriage with Elizaheth Capron, 
a native of Amherst, N. Id. This happy event 
was celebrated in July, 1822. Mrs. Dunklee 



was born May 21, 1796, and is a daughter of 
I'eniamin and Sarah Capron. Her father 
was IxiiMi in 1752. and died February 3, 1815, 
while her mother was born February 14, 1757, 
and died Xovember 23, 1828. Our subject 
has in possession the day book or journal 
which formerly belonged to his maternal 
grandfather. It was kept at Attleboro, New 
Ham])shire, and is dated 1774. Plis grand- 
father Capron owned a farm near Attleboro, 
and reared a family of ten children, 
eight sons and two daughters, all of 
whom married, except one son, ^larvin. 
Those who married reared families, — some of 
them very large ones. The parents of our 
subject were blessed with fi\'e children, four 
sons and one daughter, namely: Benjamin 
Franklin, the subject of these lines; Hiram 
C, who was born July 8, 1825 and died Oc- 
tober 12, 1848; Sarah C, who was born May 
2T,. 1827, and died February 7, 1847; Samuel 
C. who was born August 23, 1830, and died 
May 6, 1853: aufl (ieorge, a commercial trav- 
eler in the crockery business, who was born 
April 8, 1834, and makes his home in Boston. 
The mother of our subject died March 5, 1835, 
and his father followed her to the grave Aug- 
ust T, 1859. He was twice married, his sec- 
ond marriage was without issue and was con- 
tracted with Lncinda Pratt, who also rests 
in the West street burial ground. Our sub- 
ject's father was a cooper by trade, and dur- 
ing tiie last ten years of his life conducted a 
planing mill on the grounds now occupied by 
our sul)ject. which contains eight acres of 
land. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



305 



Benjamin F. Dunklee obtained only a lim- 
ited education in the jjublic schools; at the 
age of twelve years he began working out in 
the hay field. When twenty years old he went 
out by the nionth teaming and finally began 
working on the railroad. After some time, 
however, he was induced liy his father to quit 
railroading and embark in the ice business. 
As a special inducement his father built him 
an ice house at the pond in 1856, and Ben- 
jamin was persuaded to engage in the new 
enterprise. For thirty-six years he was suc- 
cessfully engaged in the ice business in the 
city of Rutland. The first year he sold only 
200 tons of ice, and the business that year 
(1857) amounted to only three hundred dol- 
lars. During later years of the business, it 
netted him from three to four thousand dol- 
lars. At first he drove only one horse, but 
his ])usiness increased to such proportions 
that it was necessary to keep eight horses. He 
now owns a fine farm about one lialf mile 
north of Rutland. This farm was purchased 
by Mr. Dunklee in 1872 and contains 60 
acres ; upon it he has raised grain and hay, 
most of which he used to feed his eight horses. 
In the spring of 1894 our subject retired from 
the ice business, selling out to his son, Frank- 
lin v., who still conducts the business very 
successfully. 

Our subject has been thrice married. 
March 30, 1850-, he was joined in wedlock 
with Elmira Moulton, of W^est Fort Ann, 
New York. She bore her husband the fol- 
lowing children: Franklin \'., born Novem- 
ber 9, 1851, who is married and has six chil- 



dren ; James I'ldward, who was born April 11, 
1854, and died at the age of nineteen years; 
and Nellie li., who was born September 22, 
1856, and is now the wife of Charles P. Beebe, 
of the city of Rutland. The mother of these 
children died March 20, 1876. Mr. Dunklee 
contracted a secorid marriage, this time with 
Elizabeth Harkness, who died October 28, 
1883. On the eighteenth day of November, 
1886, our subject married a third time, being- 
united at that time with Martha T. Zottman, 
a widow lady whose maiden name was Squier. 
She is a daughter of Harwood Squier. 

Mr. Dunklee is a decided Republican, in 
politics, and has ser\-ed as highway commis- 
sioner, assessor one year, as selectman, and 
has served in various other town offtces. He 
is a man of means, active, prosperous, and 
progressive, being very popular amcing all 
classes. His portrait accompanies this sketch 
of his life, being presented on a preceding 
page. 




ARON JACKSON VAIL, a farmer 
living north of the village of Brandon, 
Vermont, was born in Greenbush, 
New York, May 27th, 1847. He is a son of 
Phenner P. and Angeline ( Ketcham) Vail. 

The early ancestors of the subject of this 
sketch, on the jxiternal side, were worthy 
(Juakers, and people of wealth, for that period. 
From a history, and genealogy of the Vail 
family, by Alfred \'ail, of !\Iorristown, N. J., 
we learn that Isaac was the third son of' 



306 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



George Vail, wlio came from England, about 
the year 1680, and settled on Long Island. 
Moses, his son, settled and diud. at liuniiuL;- 
ton, Long Island. He made his will August 
_'-|, 1749. It was i)ro\'ed and apiiroxed in Xcw 
N't irk ('il\'. Apiil j. 1750. In this will are 
fountl the names of his children in the fol- 
lowing (jrder. Jt)seph. Piatt. Isaac. Moses, 
John, Israel, Micah, Mar_\-, and I'helie. 

Isaac \ ail. llie third son of Moses, married 
La\ina Kelcliam. and settled at Beekman, 
now \'erbank. I )utclicss county, Xew York. 
They re.ared :i family of eight children, name- 
ly : Israel m.arried Eleanor Delong; Phehe 
married (iilbert \'incenl ; Thom.as married 
-Sarah Losee; Rebecca married Thomas 
White: Moses married I'liebe Losee; Mary 
married Sanmel (Jermond; Llias married 
Hannah Duncan: Hepsabeth married .Sanmel 
Losee. 

Elias, son of Isaac, after marriage, settled 
at Verbank, became a prosperous farmer, died, 
and was bmaed there, ,at the adxanced age of 
eighty-three years, his wife, Hannah Dun- 
can, having passed awa_\- se\eral _\-ears before, 
at the age of seventy-six years. There were 
born to them thirteen children, viz.: David 
D., born May 18, 1800: Isaac E., born June 
12, 1802; Simeon L., born October 8, 1804: 
Egl)ert B., born December 27, 1806: Marv, 
born Decemlier 12, 1808: Plienner P., born 
A]>ril (>. 1810; Ale.xander H.. born October 
4. iSi 1 : Thomas S.. born June i. 1813; John 
D., born Alarch iS. 1S15: Lavinia, born 
March g, 1817: Miland J., born December 27, 
181 9; Sarah, born ()ctol)er 8, 1821 ; and Elias 



D., born September 15, 1823. Of this large 
family there are but two living: John D., of 
Chicago, and Elias D., who resides on the old 
homestead, at A'erbank. 

i'henner P. (sid)ject's father), the hfth son 
of Elias, married Angeline Ketciiam, of Sud- 
bm\\-. \'ermont. They settled at Schodack, N. 
N'., and later moved to Greenbush, N. Y., 
where he engaged in mercantile pm"suits and 
in sui)plying contractors in the construction 
of the .\ew York Central Railroad. They sub- 
se(|uentl\- mo\ed to .Mbanv, where the\' re- 
mained several years, he continuing in the 
mercantile business. They then returned to 
farm life, at Bethlehem, near Albany, in 1862, 
they moved to A'ermont, settling on a part of 
the Ketcham farm lying in the town of Or- 
well. Addison county, where he remained im- 
til the fall of 1875. Failing health caused 
a desire on his part to return to the home of 
his boyhood. He vainly hoped the change 
would be beneficial. He passed awa\- October 
6, 1875. in the sixty-sixth vear of his age. and 
was biu'ied in the \'erbank cemeterv. which 
was formerly a i)art (if the \ ail homestead. 
where he was born. 

Eive cliildren were born to them; Aaron J., 
the subject hereof; Sarah ; Margaret; Lavinia; 
and Phenner. Sarah died at the age of eigh- 
teen months, and is buried in Sudbury. Mar- 
garet and Lavinia are maiden ladies, and with 
Phenner, reside with their mother, at the old 
home, in Orwell, \'ermont. P'henner married 
Sarah Goffe, of .\lbany, X. Y. Tlie\- ha\e one 
child, Emma Erances, born May 7th, 1898. 

Aaron Jackson \'ail descended, on the ma- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



307 



ternal side, from Edward Jackson, who was 
born in England, in 1602. He was the son of 
Christopher Jaciison, and came to America in 
1642, with his wife, Frances Jackson. She 
died en route, or soon after landing, and sev- 
eral of the children also died. In 1649, Ed- 
ward Jackson again married. Elizabeth New- 
gate became his second wife. Edward Jack- 
son took the freeman's oath in 1645, and in 
1646 he purchased a farm in the village of 
Cambridge, now Newton, Massachusetts. He 
was deputy to the general court for sixteen 
years from 1647, and was otherwise promi- 
nent. He died June 17, 1671. 

Sebas Jackson, son of Edward Jackson, 
sometimes called "Sea-born" Jackson, was the 
next in line of descent. He was born in 1642, 
and, in 1671, married Sarah Baker, a daugh- 
ter of Tliomas Baker, of Roxbury, Massa- 
chusetts. He died Decendjer 6, 1690. His 
widow surx'ived him until March 25, 1726. 

Edward Jackson, son of Sebas Jackson, 
was born September 12, 1672, and died Match 
2-j, 1748. His widow attained the age of 
eighty-eight years, and passed to her final rest 
in 1753. Their son, Edward Jackson, Jr., was 
])()rn October i, i6g8. He married Abigail 
Gail, and died July i, 1738. 

Ephraim Jackson, son of Edward, Jr., was 
1)orn October 12, 1729. In 1753 he married 
Mary Davis, of Roxbury, Mass. He was 
a lieutenant in the French and Indian War. 
In 1775 he was one of the alarm list, and took 
part in the battle of Concord. He was lieu- 
tenant-colonel in Colonel Marshall's regiment 
of the Northwestern army, and participated in 



the battles during Burgoyne's invasion. Col- 
onel Jackson died in camp at Valley Forge, 
December 19, 1777. 

Aaron Jackson, son of Colonel Ephraim 
Jackson, was born in 1758. He was joined 
in marriage with Lucy Dewing, and had two 
children. He was one of the early settlers, or 
pioneers, of Sudbury, Vermont, settling on 
road I. It is claimed that he built the first 
frame house in the town, the lumber for which 
was rafted from Sutherland Falls, now Proc- 
tor, to Miller's Bridge, in the town of Sud- 
bury. From there it was conveyed through 
the wilderness, the way being traced hy means 
of marked trees. He also had the first oven 
in that locality. He raised the wheat from 
which the first bread in the town was made, 
and is also accredited with manufacturing the 
first cheese. 

\\'hen sixteen years of age, he, in company 
with his father, and a younger brother, en- 
tered the Continental army, and took part in 
the battle of Bunker Hill, where he suffered 
a sunstroke, from which he never fully recov- 
ered. He died in Sudbury, in 1802, at the 
early age of forty-four years. 

Aaron Jackson Vail's maternal grandfather, 
Maj. Barnard Ketcham, of Sudbury, Vt., mar- 
ried Mary (more generally called Polly) Jack- 
son, daughter of Aaron Jackson, before men- 
tioned. They were among the earliest settlers 
in the township and suffered many hardships 
incident to the making of homes for them- 
selves in the then sparsely settled country. 
Mr. Vail received his early education in the 
district schools, and later attended the Bran- 



308 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



don Seniinan', and the Castleton Seminary. 
He married Carrie Daphne Capron, daugliter 
of C'liauiicev and Mary (Brown) Capron, of 
Brandon, W'nnont, J)ecenil)er 23, 1880, and 
settled on a farm in Brandon, remaining;" there 
until their house was destroyed hy I'lre, July 
26, 1891, when they removed to the Capron 
homestead. Air. Vail is deeply interested in 
growing fruit, heing the largest fruit grower 
in the county. He is also engaged in general 
farming. 'J'he sul)ject of this biography is a 
niend)er of tlie State Horticultural Society. 
He is also a member of Independence Lodge 
of F. & A. M., of Orwell, Vermont. Mv. 
and Mrs. Vail have only one child — a son — 
Chauncey Capron, born May 4, 1883. He at- 
tended school in district Xo. 3, and was of the 
fourth generation, on the maternal side, to be 
a pupil in the same schoid house. He is now- 
pursuing a course of study in the Brandon 
High School. 

Mrs. Vail was the ycnmgest of si.x; children, 
four of whom died in childhood. The eldest 
son. Sanuiel .Vrthur, resides on a farm in 
Leicester, Vt., and has no children. Mrs. 
\'airs father, Chauncey Capron, was born 
February 4, 1807, and died December 9, 1895, 
on the farm that has been in the family since 
1797. Mrs. \'^airs mother was a daughter of 
Major Micah and Phebe (Merriam) Brown. 
She was born in Brandon August 15, 1815, 
and died October 25, 1889. Mrs. \'ail, on her 
paternal side, is of the seventh generation de- 
scending from Banfield Capron, who came 
from England in 1665, and settled in Attle- 
boro, Massachusetts. She is also a direct de- 



scendant of A\'illiam Lyon, who was Lord < 
Mayor of London, in the year 1500. On the 
maternal side she is descended from Cyrel and 
Mary |.\llen) lirowu. She was a first cousin 
to iuhan Allan, of I<e\i)lutionary fame. Slie 
is also descended, on the maternal side, from 
Deacon Da\id and Phebe (Foster) Merriam. 
The Deacon was a son of Isaac and Eleanor 
(Monroe) Merriam. Mrs. Vail was born in 
Brandon September u, 1835, and received a 
high school education. She is a charter mem- 
ber of Lake Dunmore Chapter, of the Daugh- 
ters of the American Revolution, being eligi- 
ble to such membcrshi]) by reason of three 
lines of descent. 




<ji¥ri> il\S. M. C. HARRIS, widow of the 
late Joel Benedict Harris, resides 
in one of the most comfortable, 
residences in Rutland, ^'ermont. This large 
dwelling N\ith spacious rooms, is situated at 
Number 34, North Main street, on the corner 
of Woodstock a\-enue. It is surrounded by a 
broad lawn, whicli is kept in perfect order. 
The erection of this home was conuuenced in 
1870, ]jy Mr. Harris, who, willi his familx', 
occupied it Alay i, 1872. 

Joel 'Benedict Harris was born in Sterling. 
Connecticut, November 5. 1H22. Mr, Har- 
ris was educated in the ]'ol\technic Institute, 
at Troy, New York, where he learned the ])ro- 
fession of ci\il engineering, which he fol- 
lowed for years. He was also a bridge build- 
er and railroad contractor, working principally 
on the B. & A. Railroad. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



309 



Mr. Harris settled in Rutland, in June, 
i860,, and began the manufacture of car 
wheels. He retired from active business pur- 
suits about ten years prior to his death, which 
took place at the family residence in Rutland, 
October 19, 1891. He was an unassuming 
man, of good lousiness abilities, and was de- 
voted to his family and home. Joel Benedict 
Harris was twice married. His first union was 
solemnized December 30, 1849, "^^'ith Susan M. 
Pond, who died leaving two children, namely, 
Susan P., and Charles Pond. The former 
married George Mather. Mrs. Mather died 
in Westfield, New Jersey, leaving an infant 
daughter, Susan. Charles Pond Harris re- 
sides in Rutland. He married Charlotte Ses- 
sions, of Springfield, Massachusetts. 

November 28, 1854, Mr. Harris was again 
married. This union was contracted with 
Mary Jane O. Gardiner, the subject of this 
sketch. The happy event took place at Prov- 
idence, Rhode Island. Five children were born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Harris, as follows : Martha 
Vaughn: \\'illiam Allen: Harriet Lester; Nel- 
lie S., and Mary Gardiner. Martha Vaughn 
married \\'illiam Newell, of the firm Newell 
Bros., manufacturers, of Springfield, Massa- 
chusetts. They have five children, named as 
follows : Grace G. ; Nelson Charles ; Mar- 
garet : Mary Harris : and Joel Harris. 

William Allen Harris also resides in Spring- 
field, Massachusetts. He is a foundry man 
in the manufacturing establishment of Bausch 
& Harris, and is also a member of that firm. 
He married Henrietta C. Harris. They have 
the following six children : Henrietta Corson ; 



William Allen, Jr.; Chesley Gardiner; Hart 
Lester ; Daniel Lester, and an infant daughter, 
vet unnamed. Harriet Lester Harris is a 
young woman, at home. Nellie S. Harris 
married Charles A. Bowles, of Springfield, 
Massachusetts. Mr. Bowles is a grandson of 
the founder of the "Springfield Republican." 
He is also a member of the firm of Dexter & 
Bowles, dealers in paper stock. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bowles have two children, 
Dorothy, aged twelve, and Charles Allen, Jr., 
aged ten years. Mary Gardiner Harris is the 
wife of Frederic Sweeney, who has a position 
with the Metropolitan Steamship Company. 
Thev reside in Dorchester, Massachusetts, 
and have two children, Harriet Lester and 
James Frederic, Jr. 

Joel Benedict Harris was a son of Allen 
Harris, who was a manufacturer, and also a 
grain dealer, in Bellows Falls, Vt., where he 
owned and operated a wholesale store. He 
was a deacon in the Plymouth Congregational 
church, of Worcester, Massachusetts. He 
was a man of prominence and wealth, for that 
day. His death took place in Worcester 
where his remains rest. He was twice married. 
His marriage with Mary Lester resulted in the 
birth of three children, Daniel Lester; Wil- 
liam H. ; and Joel Benedict. After the death 
of his first wife he married Almira Vaughn, 
who bore him two children : Mary, wife of 
Edward Marsh ; and Emma, who died young. 

The subject of this sketch is a daughter of 
William and Mary J. (Guy) Gardiner. Her 
father was a native of Rhode Island, and spent 
most of his life in Providence, Rhode Island, 



310 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



where he died June 5, 1870. He was a whole- 
sale grocer. He married the mother of the 
subject hereof, about the year 1826. She was 
born in New Hampshire, ^larch 4, 1809, and 
is still living in Providence. 

Mrs. Harris is the eldest of six children. 
Two were sons, and four were daughters. The 
others were: Martha; Sarah A.; \\'illiam: 
Charles, and Nellie Louise. Martha is the 
wife of Michael J- Talbot, a retired Methodist 
minister, of Providence, Rhode Island. 
Sarah A. is the wife of Robert B. Banister, a 
manufacturer, in Providence. William served 
in the Union army during the Civil War. He 
died in 1864. Charles died a few weeks later 
than \\'illiam. He was then a young man, of 
nineteen years. Nellie Louise is the wife of 
George H. Russell, of Montclair, New Jer- 
sey, who is associated with Minot, Hooper & 
Co., of that place, wholesale dealers in cotton 
fabrics. 




c^»,^> lARTHA P. and CORINTHA E. 
MITCHELL. The ladies whose 
names appear at the head of this 
sketch are highly respected residents of the 
town of I'ittsford, Rutland county, Vermont. 
Since the death of their father, they have con- 
tinued to reside upon the ancestral acres. Thev 
employ competent farm hands, and superin- 
tend and conduct affairs in a satisfactory and 
profitable manner. They are the daughters of 
William and Cynthia (Morgan) ]\Iitchell. 
granddaughters of Abiel, Jr., and Sarah 



(Lingham) Mitchell and great-granddaugh- 
ters of Abiel Mitchell, Sr. 

The ])aternal grand])arent of the subjects 
hereof, Abiel Mitcnell, Jr., was born in Easton. 
Massachusetts, arid located in the town of 
Chittenden, ^'ermont, some time prior to 
1806. In i8j8, he purchased a farm, \\here 
he spent the active years of his life. He died 
in 1848. Abiel Mitchell, Jr., followed farming 
man\- years. He rendered valuable service to 
our country during the Revolutionary War. 
Several relics were brought home from the 
war by him and are still preserved by the sub- 
jects hereof. One is a bayonet used by him 
in the war. 

Abiel Mitchell, Jr., married Sarah Lingham 
and reared four sons and three daughters. 
Two members of the family are still living ; the 
others are deceased. Those living are Harry 
and Eliza, both of whom reside in the West. 
Another son, William, was the father of Mar- 
tha P. and Corintha E. Mitchell. Al)iel 
Mitchell, Jr., and his wife both died in Albany, 
New York, in feeble old age. 

\\'illiam Mitchell was born in the town of 
Chittenden, Vermont, January 13, 1809. De- 
cember 4, 1828, he was joined in marriage 
with Cvnthia Morgan, who was born in Roch- 
ester, \'t., March 11, 1811. She was a daugh- 
ter of Justus Morgan, a native of Rochester, 
\'ermont. His father was a pioneer settler of 
that place. Justus Morgan served in the War 
of 1 812. The weight at the entrance gate to 
the home of the subjects hereof is a cannon 
ball, or chain shot, much battered by service 
on the field. This is a relic of the War of 




AUGUSTUS BARKER 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



313 



1812, whicli was hrouglit home l)y ]\Ir. Mor- 
gan, and has been in constant use ever since. 

^Vi^iam Mitchell followed the same occu- 
pation as his father. He farmed first in the 
town of Chittenden, and afterward purchased 
the farm now owned by the ladies to whom 
this biography pertains. Their present resi- 
dence was built by him, in 1859, — forty years 
ago. Mr. Mitchell died December 25, 1884. 
He was survived by his widow, until January 
II, 1897, when she died, aged eightv-six 
years. Eleven children were born to them. 
A son dietl in infancy. The others were: 
Justus; Electa: Ruth: Jane; Olix'e; Henry; 
Willard ; Lovel ; Martha P., and Corintha E. 
Justus died in Proctor, Vt., in November, 
1861. His death resulted from an injury re- 
ceived in a marljle quarry. He left a widow 
and five children. Electa married Henry 
Kingman. Her death occurred in Pittsford, 
Vermont. Eive children survi\ed her. Ruth 
died in February, 1898, aged sixty-one years. 
Jane has been twice married. She first mar- 
ried Thomas Lewis, and is now the wife of 
Stillman Perkins, of Plubbardton. Vermont. 
They ha\'e one son. 01i\'e married David 
Rowell, of Chittenden. She died in 1869. 
Henry was killed during the seven days' fight 
at Savage Station, and is buried there. Wil- 
lard was also a soldier during the Civil War ; 
he was a member of the "th Reg., Vermont 
\^ol. Infantry. He is now in the employ of 
the Howe Scale Company, and has one son 
living. Lo\el died at the tender age of one 
year. 

The subjects of this sketch are eligible to 



niembership in both the Colonial Dames, and 
the Daughters of the American Revolution. 
Quite a number of their relatives participated 
in the Civil War, among them the tw'o broth- 
ers already mentioned, two brothers-in-law 
(Stillman Perkins and David Row-ell), and 
thirteen cousins, besides. 




UGUSTUS BARKER, one of the solid 
men, as well as one of the oldest farm- 
ers, of Middletown Springs, Ver- 
mont, whose portrait we present on a preced- 
ing" page, is now, practically, retired from ac- 
tive life. He was born near Bird's Eye Moun- 
tain, in Poultney, \T., December 7, 1825, but 
has spent the greater part of his life in ^lid- 
dletown Springs, where he owns a fine three 
hundred-acre farm. ?kfr. Barker is a son of 
Justus Barker, a grandson of Pittman Bar- 
ker, and great-grandson of Eastus Barker. 

Eastus Barker was a man of prominence. 
He served as sheriff, and was state represent- 
ative at Montpelier, for several terms. He 
married Mabel Thompson, of Goshen, Con- 
necticut. They lost one son, Orange, at the 
age of nine years, and reared two daughters, 
Eliza and Sally. Eliza married Stephen Bar- 
rett, and was the mother of Mrs. Eugene 
Gray. Sally married Jaazaniah Barrett, and 
had two daughters, — Lucy ; and Louisa, wife 
of Aloses Vail. Pittman Barker was a farmer 
in Tinmouth, and Poultney, Vermont. His 
deatli occurred at the latter place, in 1832. 
He is buried in the old cemetery at Middle- 



314 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



town Springs, where the parents and grand- 
parents of Augustus Barker all rest. 

Mr. Barker's maternal grandmother was 
L\(lia Rudd, before her marriage. She 
reared tlirce sons and live daughters. 
Her closing years were spent ujjon the 
farm now owned by the subject hereof. 
She died at an advanced age, about the 
year 1S40. Justus Barker, father of 
Augustus, was born February 21, 1798, in 
Tinmouth, \'ermont. He married Rebecca 
Valentine, who was three years his junior. 
Thev reared three sons and four daughters. 
Augustus was the third son. He and his sis- 
ter Amanda, wife of George Haverland, of 
Glens Falls, New York, are the only surviv- 
ing members of the family. Their beloved 
mother passed to her final rest, August 31, 
1870, aged seventy years. Their father sur- 
vived her nine years, and died at the advanced 
age of eighty-two years. 

Augustus Barker was reared to farm life, 
and had little schooling. At the early age of 
ten or eleven years, he began to work out 
as chore boy. He worked tln^ee seasons for 
the same employer, and received $30, each 
season, for eight months' work. He con- 
tinued to follow farm work, sometimes on his 
father's farm, and also for others, until he at- 
tained the age of twenty-si.K \-ears. At that 
time he and his older brother purchased their 
father's farm, where Augustus made his home. 
This farm is one of the best in that locality. 
It contains three hundred acres, and was for- 
merly known as the Burnham farm. The 
fine large cottage upon it was built by Mr. 



Lew Burnham, about one hundred years ago. 

Augustus Barker was seven years old when 
his father first settled on this farm, which he 
had just luiught. It cost him $2,300. At a 
later period additional land, costing $1,700, 
was added to the original ])urchase. Since then 
but few acres have been added, but a house 
has been erected at an expense of $1,000. 
In 1885, Mr. Barker built his fine barn, forty- 
five l)y one hundred feet, with stable room 
under the whole. Mr. Barker has door steps 
which are relics of the disastrous flood of 181 1, 
when the great mill was swept away. Recently 
Mr. Barker recovered the mill stones from the 
debris, and converted them into steps for his 
front door. 

June 1 1, 1852, Augustus Barker was joined 
in marriage with Fmil_\- Hyde. Mrs. Barker 
was born in Middletown Springs, April 11, 
1832. She is a daughter of Alonzo and Adelia 
(Hotchkiss) Hyde. Her mother was a native 
of Hartford, New York, and her father, of 
W "allingford. \'ermont, where he was an able 
farmer. They reared se\en children, the eld- 
est of whom is Mrs. Barker. The others who 
are still living are Annette and Erwin. An- 
nette married James Strong, of Middletown 
Springs. Erwin Hyde is a resident of Tor- 
ringford, Connecticut. Mrs. Barker's mother 
died, October 21, 1883, aged seventy-three 
years. Her father died, Novend)er 27, 1892, 
having passed his eighty-fifth birthday. He 
was a son of Stephen Hyde, of W'allingford, 
Vermont, and was an of^cer in the state mil- 
itia. Five children were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Barker, as follows : Emma, who died at 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



315 



the age of three years ; Ida, wife of Benja- 
min Petherick, of Colorado; WiUiani C, who 
died in Minnesota, in 1884, at tlie age of 
twenty-six years, leaving a wife and daugh- 
ter ; David, who resides in Middletown, Vt. ; 
and Lily, wife of Clark Gardner, also of Mid- 
dletown. Mr. and Mrs. Barker have five 
grandchildren. 

The subject of this sketch is a Republican, 
in politics. He has served as selectman, com- 
missioner, etc. He was one of the original 
stockholders of the cheese factory company, 
formed in 1864, and served as a director there- 
in. For some years, Mr. Barker has lived a 
retired life, and rents his farm. His has been 
an industrious career, marked by faithful toil. 
He is now enjoying the well deserved fruits of 
his labors. 




DIN REYNOLDS WEBB, a promi- 
nent resident of Brandon, Vermont, 
has been identified with the agri- 
cultural interests of Rutland county for many 
years, but is now li\-ing in retirement. Mr. 
Weill) was born at Hortonville, in the town 
of Hnbbardton, Vermont, October 9, 1824. 
He is a son of Reuben and Sophia (Reynolds) 
Webb, and a grandson of Ebenezer and Abi- 
gail Webb. 

Ebenezer Webb was a soldier in the Revo- 
lutionary War. He was born May 28, 1757, 
and died when about eighty-five years old. His 
wife, Abigail, was born aljout the year 1759. 
They were married August -28, 1777, and six 



sons and five daughters were born to them. 
Their names were as follows : Sally, born 
i^ebruary 19, 1778; Reuben, father of the sub- 
ject hereof; Oliver, born in 1782; Abigail, 
born in 1784, and deceased in 1786; Abigail, 
the second: Samuel, born May 9, 1789; Lor- 
ing, born October 10, 1791 ; James, born Jan- 
uary 22. 1793; Nancy, born May 25, 1797; 
Thomas, born April 20, 1801 ; and Willis, born 
July 17, 1804. 

Reuben Webb, father of Adin Reynolds 
Webb, was JDorn in Northampton, Massachu- 
setts, February 12, 1780. While still a lad, 
he accompanied his parents to Vermont. He 
learned the useful trade of a blacksmith, and 
was known as a skilled mechanic. For 
nearly half a century, he owned a trip 
hammer shop in Hortonville, Vt., and 
did a large business, employing many 
men. He was a Jacksonian Democrat, 
in politics, and held various town offices. 
He also served as captain in the militia. Reu- 
ben Webb was joined in marriage with Steph- 
enas Peters, on August 8, 1800. Two chil- 
dren blessed this union, namely: Olive, and 
Roswell B. Olive Webb was born in August, 
1 80 1. She married John Griswold and reared 
a family of children. She died in Batavia, 
New York, an octogenarian. Roswell B. 
Webb was an eminent physician in St. Law- 
rence county. New York. He was cut off by 
death in 1846, in the prime of life, at forty- 
three years of age. 

The mother of these children died in Hor- 
tonville, Vt., and their father contracted a sec- 
ond matrimonial alliance, — this time being 



-.ne 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



united with the mother of the subject hereof, 
whose maiden name was Sophia Reynolds. 
Four chilch'cn lilessed tliis luiion, the eldest 
of whom is Adin Reynolds, to whom this 
biography i)ertains. Tiie others were: Maria, 
Ellen S.. and Andrew Jackson. Maria Webl) 
was born in 1826. She married John Hazel- 
tine, now deceased. She resides in Ellenbury, 
Clinton county, Xew York. Ellen S. Webb 
died when about the a.i;e of twenty years. 
Andrew Jackson Webb died in infancy. 

Adin Reynolds Webb's mother died of con- 
sumption, in 1834. His father was twice mar- 
ried afterward, but had no other children. He 
died November _'o, 18W), in St. Lawrence 
county, New York. 

Adin Reynolds Webl) was schot)led in his 
native place. At an early ai^e. durinn: vaca- 
tions from school, he began to work in his 
father's shop, and at the age of fifteen or six- 
teen years, drove the nails, in shoeing horses. 
He was his father's successor, for two years, 
and subsequently built a shop of his own, in 
Hortonville. \'t., and another in the town of 
Sudburv, N'ermont. He owned three different 
farms, with shops upon two of them. Mr. 
Webb lived, for three years, upon his farm in 
Sudbury Center. This farm contained one 
hundred and fifty acres, and is now known as 
the T. J. Goodrich i)lace. He also owned a 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres at Lake 
Hortonia, known as the T. J. Niciiols farm. 
After following agricultural pursuits for four- 
teen years, Mr. Webb removed to Brandon. 
Vermont. He settled at Number 9, U^niou 
street, Novendjer 2, 1892, and was so well 



pleased with this location, that he sold his 
farming interests in July, 1893. and retired 
permanently from that occupation. 

.\ugust 28. 1848. Mr. Webb married Mary 
A. Young, a daughter of Charles Young, 
whose wife's maiden name was I^ouisa Webb, 
and who was an own cousin of the subject 
hereof. Mrs. Webb was born in Sudburv, 
\'ermont. Novcud)er 17, i8i(). She bore her 
husband three children, all of whom died 
young. 'Jdie eldest, an inf;int son. died in 
1849. ''^ tlie age of three mouths. Marion E., 
the second child, was born May 4, 1852, and 
died August 11, 1865. Charles, the youngest 
son, was born in December, 1837, and died in 
1859. The loss of these beautiful ;uid ])rom- 
ising children was a crushing blow to Mr. 
and Mis. Webb, and for a time afterward, life 
seenu-d a burden to the stricken ])arents. Mr. 
and Mrs. Webb ha\e a journal conuiienced bv 
the former's father in 1829. and continued by 
him u]) to the time of his death. It was then 
taken u]) b\- Mrs. W ebb and carried on faitli- 
full\- until October. 181)4. This journal con- 
tains records most \aluable. and is written in 
a uniform and legible hand. The facts and 
events are arranged in a methodical way, and 
can l)e referred to with ease. Upon its pages 
are chronicled matters of interest gleaned 
from all over the workl. These memoirs should 
be ])ublished. and ]nit on the market, as they 
are more valuable and more readable than 
manv other printed records. 

Mrs. Webb is a lady of great vigor of body 
and mind, notwithstanding the fact that 
eighty years have passed ovcv her head. P.orn 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



317 



the same year in which Queen Victoria first 
saw the hght, no one knows liow well she 
might have filled a more distinguished sphere 
than the quiet and humble life which has fallen 
to her lot. 

Mr. Webb followed the leadership of the 
Democratic party until 1896, when he 
changed his political views and voted for 
President McKinley. He never sought politi- 
cal distinction, and has never filled ot^ce, save 
one year as selectman. He won for himself 
much reputation as a model farmer, in which 
calling he aimed to excel. His work was done 
in a methodical, intelligent manner, which 
goes far toward accounting for his consec|uent 
prosperity. 




RRIN A. GEE, M. D., a homeopathic 
physician who has an extensive prac- 
tice in Brandon (and vicinity) Rutland 
county, Vermont, resides upon a fine twelve- 
acre farm in that town. Dr. Gee was born in 
Clarendon, Rutland county, Vermont, Janu- 
ary 15th, 1858. and is a son of Abisha G. Gee. 
Stillman Gee, the grandfather of the sub- 
ject hereof, was born in Massachusetts, and 
was a farmer near Westminster until about 
the year 1843, when he removed to Rutland 
county, Vermont. A few years subsequent 
thereto, he removed to Minnesota, where he 
spent the rest oi his life. He was joined in 
the bonds of wedlock witli a Miss Richmond, 
and they became the parents of the following 
children: Abisha G. ; Leonard T. and Lydia, 
twins ; Edwin B. ; Llewellen ; Charles, and 



Laura. Leonard is a mechanic, at Clarendon, 
Vt., and Lydia was the wife of George Brown, 
who died in middle life, leaving three chil- 
dren, lidwin B. is a farmer in Chicago county, 
Minn., and is the father of three children. 
Llewellen lives in Illinois, and has one son and 
one daughter. Charles is also a farmer in Illi- 
nois. Laura died in early womanhood. 

Abisha G. Gee, the father of Dr. Gee, was 
born in ^^^estminster, Mass., in 1833. He en- 
listed during the Civil \\'ar, and contracted 
a disease from which lie died on December 
5th, 1862, leaving a widow and three sons. He 
was married at the age of twenty-four years, 
his wife being fifteen years old. She was 
Sarah A. \\'ilkins, who was born in Clarendon, 
September 24, 1841, and was a daughter of 
Jeremiah and Mary A. (Daniels) Wilkins. 
Their union which was effected on Sej)tember 
24, 1856, was blessed by the birth of three 
children: Orrin A., the subject hereof; Ar- 
thur E., a mechanic who lives at Sandy Hill, 
N. Y. : md Clarence A., a mechanic, and an 
amateur i^hotographer, of considerable talent. 
Mrs. Gee formed a second matrimonial alli- 
ance and had one daughter, Jessie M., who is 
now the wife of J. Harwood Eggleston, of 
StockI:)ridge, Vermont. Mrs. Gee died in 
December, 1895, in the fifty-eighth year of her 
age, having spent the last six years at the 
home of the subject of this sketch. 

Dr. Orrin A. Gee secured a good education 
through his own efl'orts. He began to sup- 
port himself at the age of thirteen years. He 
attended the Rutland High School, and then 
took a three years' course in the Homeo- 



318 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



pathic College of Xew "^'ork City, g^raduating 
therefrom on Marcli 3. 1861. at tlie age of 
twenty-tlirce vears. In tlie month of June of 
tlial year, lie went to Swauton. \ t.. where he 
])ractice(l medicine, for six _\ears. and in iS<Sj. 
he rem()\ed to I'.randon, where he has since 
followed his profession. He has a thorough 
knowledge of the science of medicine, and his 
success has lieen such as to hring him into 
high repute throughout that .comnuuiity. 

On Septemher 2;^. 1876. Dr. Gee was united 
in marriage \\ith Jennie R. Norton, and the\- 
became the parents of three children : Maud 
M.. who died at the age of fourteen months; 
Cecil D.. who died at the age of three years; 
and Annabel, who died at the age of eleven 
months. Mrs. Ciee was called to her linal rest 
on July 10. 1896. 

Dr. Gee formed a second union, on this 
occasion with Miss Georgia E. Rood, a 
daughter of E. H. and Catherine Cutler ( Kid- 
der) Rood, and a scion of a family which has 
been established in this countr\- for more than 
tw(.> and a half centuries. It is believed the 
Cutlers are sprung from the nobility of Eng- 
land, and their records are traceable to a re- 
mote ])eriod. James Cutler, the earliest 
know n ancestor of Mrs. (jee. was born in Eng- 
land, in 1606. and came to .America in 1634. 
being one of the original founders of the town 
of W'atertown. Massachusetts. He later be- 
came a farmer at Cambridge, Mass., where he 
died on May 17, 1698, at the age of eighty- 
eight \ears his will bearing the date of No- 
vend)er J4, 1684. His son, Thomas, was born 
in 1^)48, and died Jidy 13. IJJJ, at Eexing- 



ton, then Cambridge Farms, at the age of sev- 
enty-four years. He was a soldier having the 
rank of lieutenant, and was also a conspicuous 
personage in ci\il affairs. Jonathan Cutler, 
w ho is the next in line of descent, was baptized 
on June 17. 1688. and lived at Killingly, 
Conn., at the time of his demise. He hail live 
sons and one daughter, the third child being 
Beach Cutler, who was born at Colchester, 
Conn.. (Jctober 20. 1716. and died at Plain- 
held. Xew Idamjjshire. He was thrice mar- 
ried, his first wife being Abigail Hodges; thev 
w ere the parents of Gen. Hodges Cutler. The 
latter was born July 2". 1752. at Plaintield. 
Conn., and died on February 4. 1857. at the 
age of one hundred and five years. His oldest 
son was Joseph Beach Cutler, who was born 
December 2J, 1779, and died on I3ecend)er 18, 
1861. He was a nati\-e of Cornish. X. H.. and 
became a physician of considerable promi- 
nence. He began practice at Highgate, in 
1806. Doctor Cutler married Catlierine Barr, 
of Saxtons Ri\er. He was a well-known fig- 
ure in public life and held a number of posi- 
tions of trust, among them l}eing a member- 
ship in the general assembly. He and his 
wife reared the following children : Hiram C. ; 
Albert G. ; C. B. ; Martha: Mary; and Eliz- 
abeth. Hiram C.. born Januarv 29, 1810, was 
a medical student who died in June, 1833. 
.\lbert G., born l-'ebruary 2T,. 1812, died iu 
1840. G. B. Cutler was a doctor iu Bakers- 
held, \'ermont. Martha, a twin of Al!)ert. 
became the wife of L. Pomeroy, Esq. Mary 
was the wife of Judge Ellis, of Fair Haven, 
\'ermont. Elizabeth, the grandmother of 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



319 



Mrs. Gee, was born December 13. 1S14. She 
married George M. Kitkler, who died in 1870. 
Her daughter, Catherine Kidder, became the 
wife of EHsha H. Rood, whose father was 
Elisha Rood, and whose mother was Betsey 
Higgins, of Brattleboro, Vermont. Georgia 
E. Rood, Dr. Gee's wife was born in Swanton, 
Vt., and received a high intellectual training 
in the Swanton High School, and in the 
Montpelier Seminary, being graduated in 
1886. She then studied music and art in 
Boston. Although fond of his professional 
work. Dr. Gee loves rural life, and engages in 
farming, as a pastime. He purchased a farm 
of twelve acres, in 1892, upon which he has 
erected good, substantial buildings and made 
many other improvements. Socially, the Doc- 
tor is a prominent Mason, whilst in politics, 
he is a standi Republican. He is also a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F., and of the State Homeo- 
pathic Society. 



-r-— ^ LISHA RICH HENDEE is a prom- 

^ inent farmer and speculator in sheep, 

and has lived in his present home in 

Pittsford, Rutland county, Vermont, since 

June I, 1866. 

The Hendee family of Pittsford is one of 
the oldest and most prominent families of 
that \icinity, with a record dating back for 
one hundred and fifty years or more. The 
progenitor of the family in America was Rich 
Hendee. He was a descendant of a French 
Protestant family who for religious reasons 



were expelled from Kormandy, and settled in 
England. Upon coming to America, he lo- 
cated in Boston among the first settlers. He 
married and had two sons, Richard and Calel) ; 
the latter died without issue. Rich- 
ard Hendee was twice married : his first 
wife (lied early in life and left one 
son, Jonathan, who was reared by his 
mother's relatives. Richard Hendee re- 
moved to Connecticut, where he married a 
]\Iiss Conant and settled in or near \Mndham. 
Jonathan Hendee was also twice marrieil. 
His first wife died and left him David, Bar- 
zillai, A.sa, and Hannah. A later marriage 
with Martha Millington resulted in the fol- 
lowing five children : Jonathan, Richard, Ca- 
leb, Richard, and Martha. Jonathan Hendee 
died at what is now called Ellington about 
1775. He was poor antl illiterate but was an 
honest man. He was a man of great physical 
powers and his sons by his first wife were also 
powerful men. Caleb, the third son by his 
second wife, is the ne.xt in line of descent and 
is the great-grandfather of our subject. 

Caleb Hendee, Jr.. the grandfather of 
Elisha Rich Hendee, was born October 21, 
1768, and in 1789 marrietl Lydia Rich, 
by Avhom he had seven children. The 
third in this family, German Franklin 
Hendee, was born October 2, I794- 
November 30, 1820, he was joined in marriage 
with Sarah R. Jones, of Claremont, New 
Hampshire. Ten children blessed this union, 
se\'en of whom were sons and three were 
daughters. All are now deceased except the 
following : Elisha Rich, subject of these lines ; 



320 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Lydia Ann. wife cif Dr. George E. Sparhawk, 
of Bmiiui^aon. X'ermont ; and Eliza Maria. 
Eliza Maria married .\mos Drurv Tififany, of 
Pittsford, Vermont. Noveml^er 17, 1868, and 
tiicv became the ])arents of tive children, three 
of whom are now deceased. The record is as 
follows: Sarah Abioail. wife of Dr. John 
Estabrook. of Brandon ; Frederick, who died 
at the age of ten months ; Arthur Amos, a 
clerk in the express office at St. Albans. \'er- 
mont : Harry H., who died in his fifth year; 
and Carroll H.. who died in infancy. Mr. Tif- 
fany was engaged in the grocery business with 
his brother for a numlier of years, and suljse- 
(|uently entered the emj^loy of the railroad 
com]:)any as station agent at Pittsford, 
which position he still retains. He has also 
been a coal dealer for many years. He is a 
master Mason and is a deacon of the Con- 
gregational church. The marriage of Lydia 
Ann and Dr. Sparhawk, was followed by the 
birth of two children, one of whom, Sam, is 
a prominent physician in Burlington. Vt. 

Elisha Rich Hendee was born in Pittsford, 
W-rmont, January 15, 1837. He was reared 
to farm life on his father's farm and obtained 
the rudiments of an education in the district 
and select schools. He left home when eigh- 
teen years old and went to live with J. J. Si- 
monds, who married his eldest sister, Sarah 
Rosette. Thev lived in SherlnuMie, X'ermont, 
w here our subject remained for two years and 
a half. 

In 1859, in company with his brother, Ed- 
win H., he took fifty Merino sheep to Texas. 
They went by rail to Boston and on board a 



sailing l)rig to Galveston, Texas. y\r. Hendee 
remained in Texas until the spring of 1865. 
While there ha took 300 bucks of high grade 
into Mexico for George Wiikins Kendall. On 
his way back he had a most romantic and en- 
joyable time. While in Texas he increased his 
weight from 125 to 169 pounds. He spent 
nearly three years at Barney, near the head of 
Buffalo Creek, on the ranch of Colonel Gra- 
ham, who was an able lawyer from Ohio, and 
was, at one time. United States consul to 
Buenos .\yres. Mr. Hendee was a conscript 
in Confederate service for a time and olitained 
a furlough to go to Mexico. Mr. Hendee lo- 
cated on his present farm in the year follow- 
ing his return from the South. This farm is 
a part of his father's farm, which was settled 
in 1 83 1. 

Our subject and his Ijrother, Edwin H., 
bought out the heirs to this part of the farm 
which contains 375 acres. The original farm 
contained 600 acres. Mr. Hendee bought and 
sold lands and has now a farm of his own con- 
taining 300 acres. He keejjs a dairy of twen- 
ty-fi\'e cows and disposes of the milk at the 
Pittsford creamery. Novendier 20, 1866, he 
wedded Augusta XX'hite. of Hebron, New 
York. Two children blessed their union : 
Frederick and Helen G. Their son was born 
January 19, 1867, and died when eight 
months old. ]\Iany hojies were buried with 
him. Their daughter, Helen G., is a popular 
teacher in the schools of Burlington, Ver- 
mont ; she is a graduate of the seminary at 
Brandon, and of the Vermont University. 

In politics Mr. Hendee is a Democrat, and 




JOHN H. MEAD. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



323 



has served in town offices, as selectman, jus- 
tice of tlie peace, poor master, etc. May 24, 
1877, lie was deprived of his heloved wife, 
who died when her daughter was an infant. 
This was a sad blow to our subject, who has 
remained true to her memory and has been a 
widower for twenty-two years. 

Mr. Hendee retains some vivid recollections 
of his experience in the South during the war, 
and of his great difficulty in getting back to 
the North. He also brought some trophies 
back with him; not least among these are his 
furloughs and passes in the original writing. 
To obtain these required nerve and tact pos- 
sessed by few persons in such an emergency. 
These papers bear dates of May 4th, nth, to 
the 23d, 1865. With these in his possession, 
he finally made good his escape to the United 
States forces, but had to go to Mexico first. 



(^OHN H. MEAD, whose portrait is 
shown in connection with this biog- 
raphy, is one of the most prominent 
stock raisers of Rutland county, Vermont. 
He is the proud owner of a fine herd of Hol- 
stein cattle and a large flock of the finest Mer- 
ino sheep, some of which have been bred by 
him, and some are of the best imported stock. 
Mr. Mead was born October 27, 1848, in Fair 
Haven, Rutland county, Vermont. He is a 
son of Andrew Jackson and Ellen E. (Board- 
man) Mead, grandson of Abner and Nancy 
(Rowley) Mead, and great-grandson of Abner 
and Amelia (Root) Mead. 



The Mead family is of English origin and 
the first known member of the family whose 
name has been ]ireserved and who is known 
to have emigrated from England, is Timothy 
Mead, who settled at 'Horseneck, N. Y. He 
descended from one of three brothers, who 
also emigrated from England. Timothy had 
one son, who was also named Timothy. Tim- 
othy Mead, Jr., with his wife Martha, removed 
to a place called Nine Partners, N. Y., a place 
named for its first nine settlers. Later in life 
Timothy Mead, Jr., removed to Manchester, 
Vt., where his death is known to have oc- 
curred. He reaVed five children, namely: 
Timothy, the third, born in Manchester; Zeb- 
ulon and James, born in Rutland ; Stephen, 
born in Pittsford ; and Ezra, born in Rutland. 
Colonel James Mead, the great-great-grand- 
father of our subject, was born at Horseneck, 
N. Y., August 25, 1730, and died January 17, 
1804, aged eighty-four years.. August 7, 1752, 
he was united in marriage with Mercy 
Holmes, who was born April 7, 1731, at 
Horseneck, New York. After marriage, the 
young couple sought a home in the wilds of 
Vermont, near the present site of Rutland, 
where they located in March, 1769. Their 
first night was spent in an Indian wigwam on 
the banks of the Otter Creek, a short distance 
below Center Rutland. The friendly Indians 
first offered the pipe of peace and then the use 
of the wigwam was profi'ered. 

Mrs. James Mead bore the first white child 
in Rutland, where she and her husband were 
the first white settlers. She was one of twenty 
persons who formed the first Congregational 



324 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



cliurcli in Rutlaiul. uhicli wa.s organized in 
1773. After the many hardships mcident to 
the ])ionccr hfc of tliose early settlers, made 
more terrible by the War of the Revolution, 
Mrs. James Mead lived to see the 
woods converted into fertile and culti- 
vated fields. She had tiflcen children, one hun- 
dred and ninety-two grandchildren, one hun- 
dred and fifty-four great-grandchildren and 
ten of the fifth generation, in all three hun- 
dred and seventy-one descendants, whom 
she lived to see. She was an active member 
of the Congregational church for more than 
tiftv vears. and, allhou!;h deprived of her 
husband in 1804, she remained faithful to his 
memory and died a widow. May 17, 1823, 
aged ninetv-two years. Both these ancestors 
now rest in the Evergreen cemetery, whither 
they were removed (by Dr. J. A. Mead) from 
the old Congregational burial ground in West 
Rutland. 

Col. James Mead served in the Revolu- 
tionary War and was particularly active and 
brave at the battles of Hubbardton and Ben- 
nington. ( )ne incident which occurred at the 
time of the battle of 1 lubbardton, showing the 
extreme bravery and courage of Mrs. James 
Mead, may be appropriately given here. Mrs. 
Mead was left at her home with her three 
small children, and, although she often said 
she was not afraid to stay alone, when foes 
were reported to l)e in the neighlwrhood, she 
became alarmed and feared for the safety of 
her i)recious children. Going into the ])as- 
ture, she caught a wild colt which had never 
been broken and, with much dit^culty, saddled 



it. She then managed to get one child in 
front of her. one I)ehind her, and taking tlie 
third in her laj). she rode away from Rutland 
to Bennington, fifty-five miles, where she was 
safe among her friends, as she deserved to be. 
This feat was heralded as one of the most 
courageous of that long and weary struggle, 
and Mrs. Mead was an acknowledged heroine. 
The eldest son of Col. James Mead was .\bner 
Mead, the great-grandfather of our subject. 
Abner Mead, Sr., wed Amelia Root, a daugh- 
ter of Rev. Benjamin Root, the first clergyman 
in Rutland. \'t. ]\Irs. Mead died June 17, 
1800, and was survived by her husband until 
February 17, 18 13. They reared the following 
eight children: Ira. Elizabeth, Truman, Ab- 
ner, Jr., Laura, Abial, Philena, and Peter 
riiilander. 

Abner Mead, subject's grandfathe'r, was 
born in Rutland. September 9, 1785. He 
married Nancy Rowley, who bore him the fol- 
lowing five children, all of whom married, 
reared families of their own, and are now 
deceased: Harriet; Charity R.. who became 
the wife of Franklin Blanchard and lived to 
be eightv-si.x vears old; .\ndrew Jackson, our 
subject's father; Roswell R.. father of Dr. J. 
A. Mead, of Rutland ; and John W. H. 

.Andrew Jackson Mead was born on 
the farm now occupied by our sub- 
ject. He was united in marriage with 
Ellen E. Boardman, an own cousin to 
Rev. George H. Boardman. of Chicago, 
Illinois. This wedding was solemnized 
October 2, 1839, on Boardman Hill, Rutland. 
Five children blessed tliis union, namely : 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



325 



Charles, wlio was killed in the battle of Peters- 
burg by a sharpshooter, was born in Fair Ha- 
ven, Vt., April 5, 1843, 'I'l'l 'lid June 17, 
1864; Charles Eugene, Ijorn in Fair Haven, 
Vt., February 19, 1845, is now a resident of 
Chicago, where he is in the marble business; 
John H., subject of this sketch: Ellen Cor- 
nelia, born in Westmoreland, Vt., May 2, 
1854, married M. P. Flack and died July 21, 
1877, without issue; and Charity Rowley, born 
January 14, 1858, who is now the wife of W. 
W. Burr, of West Rutland, Vermont. An- 
drew Jackson Mead died September 24, 1890, 
and is still survived by his widow who resides 
with her daughter, Mrs. Burr. She is now 
eighty-four years old and is still an active, 
sprightly, and entertaining lady. She was a 
daughter of Charles G. and Sophia (Watkins) 
Boardman. This worthy couple were resi- 
dents on the hill in West Rutland, where Mr. 
Boardman farmed. Timothy Boardman, the 
father of Charles G.,» settled there at an early 
date, removing from Middletown. When he 
was eighty-four years old he dro\e back to 
the old home, accompanied by this grand- 
daughter, Mrs. Mead, when she was twenty 
years old. He made the long journey with 
his horse and wagon and took in all the sights 
along the way, including the Bennington 
monument. He died three years later, aged 
eighty-seven years. Charles Boardman, a 
cousin of our subject's mother, lives on his 
farm adjoining the old homestead, which has, 
unfortunately, passed out of the family pos- 
sessions. Mr. Mead's uncle, Henry Board- 
man, the youngest of the family, is a wealthy 



land owner, residing near Joliet, 111. 

John H. Mead was joined in marriage with 
Mary E. Flower, only child of James and 
Olive (Parsons) Flower, born in Proctors- 
ville, \'t.. May 7, 1850. She has borne her 
husl)and three sons, as follows : Charles Jack- 
son, now a yoimg man of twentv-two; Rob- 
ert Flowers, aged twenty ; and Richard Harris, 
aged nineteen )ears. Charles Jackson, the 
eldest son, was united in marriage October 
12, 1898, with Mary A. \\'heeler, of Pittsford, 
Vermont, a daughter of C. \V. and Ann (Con- 
roy) A\'heeler. 

In politics, our subject is a stanch Repub- 
lican, and has served three years on the state 
bureau of agriculture. He is now president of 
the Rutland County Agricultural Society. For 
two years he was president of the Vermont 
Merino Sheep Breeders' Association. He 
has served in minor offices in town and is a 
faithful member of the Congregational church. 
Our subject's farm consists of 200 acres and 
is a portion of the original land grant first 
taken liy Colonel James Mead, over one hun- 
dred and thirty-two years ago. 

Mrs. John H. Alead's father was born in 
New York, June 10, 181 4, and her mother 
was born in \\'est Windsor, \'ermont, March 
15, 1 81 8. The wedding of Mr. and Mrs. 
Flower was solemnized February 19, 1841, 
and they have just passed their fifty-eighth 
wedding anniversary. They have spent most of 
their li\es in Clarendon, where they conducted 
a hotel or boarding house, but they are now 
living with their daughter, Mrs, Mead. James 
Flower has a brother, Anson Flower, in Paw- 



326 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



let, Vt., who was ninety years old June 5, I the woods, traveling on horseback to 

1899, and is still in the cabinetmaking busi- their new home, the farm mentioned 

ness. The parents of James ?"lower died I above as the birthplace of our subject. 

young, each within six months of the other, .\t that time Pittsford boasted of the 



m tJiat \icmit_\-. and to this 
Field was obliged to take his 



and left foiu' sons and one daughter. j onl\- mil 

Mrs. Flower was a daughter of Abial and mill Mr. 

Olive (Bliss) Parsons, of Warren, IVIassachu- j grist on horseback during the summer, and 

setts. This worthy couple reared nine of their i over the ice during the winter. Joshua Field, 

ten children, eight sons and one daughter. ! our subject's grandfather, was a pensioner of 

Three are still living, viz. : Caroline, widow the Revolutionary War. He had several broth- 

of Baidon Bailey, now eighty-one years old, ' ers. among them, Zacharias and Wait. In 

and residing in Proctorsville, \'t, ; Mrs. Flow- 1826 his wife died, aged eighty-four years, 

er; and Martha (Plinney), of Brockton, Mass. j They were both members of the Congrega- 

Herevvith is given a description of the coat ! tional church, and rest in the churchyard at 




of arms of the Mead family : The field sable — 
a chevron between three jielicans. In the 
che\-ron, a lion's head. .\n Egyptian holds 
the pelican as a hicrogh-phic oi the four duties 
of a father to his children, which are genera- 
tion, education, instruction, and good ex- 
ample. 

<•-♦ 

L'RGESS PAUL FIELD, of Xum- 
bcr (). ]'"raid\lin street, Brandon, \ er- 
uiont, is an octogenarian, and is one 
of the oldest residents of Rutland county. 
.Mr. I'ield was born January 6, 1813, on the 
ancestral farm, three miles north of Brandon. 
This farm was settled by his paternal grand- 
father in 1785, and is now owned bv oiu' sui)- 
ject, having been in the possession of the fam- 
ily for more than one hundred years. Mr. 
Field is a son of Paid and Mercv (Stearns) 
Field. 

\'y the aid of marked trees our subject's 
grandjjarents followed the bridlepath through 



Brandon. Joshua Field died in 1831. He 
left several children and had pre\-iously buried 
three. Those who grew to matiu-ity were: 
Othnial : Calvin. Paul, our subject's fath- 
er: l\udol])hus; Dennis: and Sarah and 
ThankfiU, twins. Othnial died in I'er^ 
lin, CJhio, in the eightieth _\ear of his 
age. He was a well-to-do-farmer and 
was sin'\i\ed hv his widow. Cabin was a 
large and ]iowerful man: he followed farming 
in ( ienesee county. New \'ork : he died in 
.Michigan, an octogenarian, lea\ing three chil- 
dren. Rudolphus studied medicine and be- 
came a practicing jihysician in Crown Point, 
New ^"ork, where he died at about si.\ty-five 
\ears of age, being sur\ived b\' his widow. 
Dennis ne\er married, and his death occiu'red 
in Batavia, X. ^'. 

Our sid)ject's maternal grand])arents were 
Jonathan and Hannah (Biu'gess) Stearns. 
They both fell \'ictims to a winter fe\-er 
ej)idemic : the grandfather dx'ing in 1812; 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



327 



and liis widow three days later ; both 
were buried in tlie same grave, and both 
were about sixty-five years old. They 
reared three children, Jonathan, Sarah, 
and Mercy. Jonathan Stearns was a 
mercliant and cotton manufacturer in Malone, 
N. Y., and later in New York City. He died 
in Bridgeport, Conn. Sarah Stearns married 
James Wing, of Rochester, \'t. 

Paul Field, the father of our subject, was 
born in Winchester, N. H., April lo, 1779. 
December 2, 1810, he was joined in marriage 
with Mercy Stearns, who was born June 11, 
1790, at Hardwick, Massachusetts. She was 
a daughter of Jonathan Stearns. To this union 
were born seven children, three sons and four 
daughters. The sons were named as follows : 
Stearns J. ; Burgess Paul ; and George F. 
Stearns J. Field was born July 10, 1813, and 
is now deceased. George F. Field was born 
June 2, 1819; he was a farmer by occupation 
and reared fi\'e sons and two daughters. He 
died in Leicester, \'t., July 7, 1892. Paul 
Field and his wife, Mercy, began life together 
on the homestead farm of the husband, north 
of Brandon, where the whole of their married 
life was sjjent. He died in 1834, having been 
fatally gored by an ox. He was tiien fifty-five 
years old. His widow survived him many 
years, dying, in 1851, aged sixty-one years. 

After the death of his father. Burgess Paul 
Field continued to remain at home until he 
reached his majority. Even then he did not 
leave the old place permanently, but has spent 
the greater part of his long and useful life on 
his native place. He was engaged in the lum- 



ber business in Wisconsin for some time, and 
later became interested in the marble business 
in Brandon ; but he continued to retain pos- 
session of the old home farm of 150 acres. 
April 2"], i860, Mr. Field was joined in mar- 
riage with Lydia Washer Hemenway, who 
was born in Ludlow, Vt., Fel)ruary 6, 1830. 
Mrs. Field was a daughter of ShefSeld and 
Abigail Dana (Barton) Hemenway, and 
granddaughter of Jacob and Sarah (Haven) 
Hemenway. Her grandparents had a family 
of fourteen children, but lost twins in infancy. 
Eight sons and four daughters grew to matur- 
ity, namely : Jacob, Jonathan, Samuel, Dyer, 
Frances, Elisha, Elijah, William, Isaac, Polly, 
Sarah, and Beulah. 

Mrs. Field's father was a native of Spring- 
field, Vermont. Her mother was born 
March 31, 1798, and was a daughter of Rufus 
Barton. She bore her husband four sons and 
four daughters, as follows: Nelson, born 
August II, 1823; Abigail Dana, who died in 
infancy; Abby M., born October 7, 1828; 
Lydia Washer, our subject's wife ; Charles 
Wesley, born in 1832 ; Carrie E., born June 30, 
1834: Horace C, born April 3, 1837; and 
Daniel Dana, born May 28, 1840. Mrs. Field 
was a devout Christian and lived a good and 
generous life, thinking little of self and con- 
tinually trying to make others happy. She 
was an aft'ectionate wife, a true friend and a 
good neighbor, and her death was sadly 
nuiurned by her host of acquaintances, among 
whom she had lived for so many years. Al- 
though she lived to reach the age of seventy 
years, her death was hastened by a fall wdiich 



328 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



proved too great a shock for Iier system and 
she sustained a stroke of apoplexy shortly 
after, which resulted in her death on Tuesday 
morning. October 31. 1899. 

Mr. and Mrs. I<"ield lost their only child, 
Ahby Mercy, whose untinu-K death was a 
desolating blow and an n\er\\helmiiig sorrow 
to her devoted i)arents. .\l)by M. Field was 
born Xovembcr 21. i8()(i. After graduating 
from the Brandon ])td)lic schools, she con- 
tinued her studies nearly two vears under the 
tuition of Miss Clark, of Tvutland. Her death 
occurred ^larch 29. 1S90. and she was 
mourned bv manv warm atid adniirino- friends. 




RANGE A. SIMALLEY. decease.l. In 
presenting to the public the lives of 
men who have added luster to tlie 
name of Rutland county. X'ermont. it is tit- 
ting that we make due mention of the gentle- 
man named above, whose investigations in the 
science of elcctricitx' led to Morse's imention 
of telegra])hv. .\fter manv \ears of contin- 
uous labor in coujimction with his skilful as- 
sistant, Mr. Da\cn])ort. he produced the elec- 
tro-motor, which, as developed at the present 
day, has come into use throughout the world. 
The financial gain to its inventor, was, how- 
ever, but limited. 

Air. .Sniallev was born in 1 lartford. Wash- 
ington county, N. "S'., July 3. 181 2. and was 
a son of Dr. A. J- Smalley. who was of Irish 
ancestry. Three l)rothers. in the line of de- 
scent, cstal)lished the famib in this coim- 
try. The father of the subject hereof 



was l)()rn at Xorwicli. Vermont. in 
1774. and after graduating from Dart- 
mouth College, began the ])raclice of 
medicine, which he followed until his death 
at Brandon. Rutland count\-. \ ermont. where 
he resided w itli h\> son on the old (joss pro])- 
erty. He was united in marriage with Sophia 
Cioss. a daughter of Joshua (loss, and a grand- 
daughter of Captain Jolmathan Car\er. an 
American soldier and traveler, explorer of the 
great Xorthwest and Lake Su])erior region in 
1766- 1 768 and author of "'Carxer's Tra\els to 
the Interior Parts of Xorth America." Joshua 
(loss married .\bigail Carver, and after the 
birth of the mother of Orange A. Smalley. in 
Massachusetts, he moved to the old Goss 
homestead at Brandon, \'ermont. Dr. and 
Mrs. Smalley became the jiarents of thirteen 
children, three of whom were sons, whose 
names were: Darwin: ( )range .\.. the sub- 
ject hereof: and Epp. 

Orange A. Smallex' bought ])art of the Goss 
estate, in 1838. and on Xo\ember 17. of the 
following year, was uniteil in matrimou}' with 
Alma X. Carlisle, a daughter of Martin and 
Xancy (Blood) Carlisle. Her grandfather 
was A\'illiam Carlisle, of Scituate. Mass.. a 
soldier of the Revolutionary War. He was .1 
sturdy old farmer, and moved from Scituate to 
Westmoreland, X'. H.. and thence to Ran- 
ilolph. .X. \'.. where he and his wife both died; 
and buried in the cemetery at East Randol])]!. 
His wife was Deborah Studely, whom he 
married in Massachusetts, and they had eight 
children. Martin Carli.sle, ;m agriculturist, 
married Xancv Blood, a daughter of Colonel 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



329 



P)lood, who saw lionoral:>le service in tlie War 
of the Rexolution. The sul)ject hereof and his 
wife became the parents of tliree children, 
namely : Darwin A. ; Carver W. : and John A. 

Darwin .\. Smalley, deceased, was born on 
September 29, 1841, and was a captain in the 
Ci\'il War, — serving throughont that mem- 
orable strnggle. From constant exposure to 
which he was subjected during the four years 
of his service, lie contracted consumption, 
from which he died on December 29, 1869. 
Captain D. A. Smalley was married on Janu- 
ary II, i860, at Lynchljurg, Va., to Eleanor 
P. Hastings. Their children. Marion H., born 
October 27, 1866, and Carlisle D., born May 
23, 1869, are now living. 

Carver W. Smalley was born May 5, 1843, 
and received a common school education. In 
August, 1862, he enlisted, for nine months, in 
the 1 2th Reg., Vermont \'ol. Infantry, as a 
private, and returned, one year later, as a cor- 
poral, having participated in the battle of Get- 
tysburg. He then went west, and for several 
years was proprietor of the Angier House, at 
New London. W^isconsin ; six years later, he 
became a tra\eling salesman, selling fire and 
burglar proof safes. sfMue twehe years. He 
also served as United States marshal for a 
period of sixteen months. On December 25. 
1867, he was united in marriage with Hen- 
rietta M. Lutsey. and their children are: 
Orange A. and Lottie J. Carver W. Smal- 
ley now resides on the old homestead, at Bran- 
don, with his mother. 

John A. Smalley was born. July 2, 1847, 
and, earlv in life, learned the trade of a ma- 



chinist, but now resides on the old homestead 
with his brother and his mother. On April 
18. 1880. he was joined in marriage with Julia 
A. Morse, and thev are the parents of two 
children, namely; Mary, who, though but 
seventeen years of age, is a teacher ; and Car- 
ver W., a boy of fourteen years. 

Orange A. Smalley in his youthful days de- 
x'eloped a love for scientific research, and be- 
came interested in electricity. He afterward 
established a shop at Forest Dale and engaged 
the services of Mr. Davenport, a gentleman 
some years his senior, who was also a mechan- 
ical genius. With their combined capital, 
whicli was very limited in extent, they applied 
themselves to new experiments. It was in 
1834 that Mr. Smalley's designs were put into 
operation, and the electro-magnetic engine 
was the result. A patent was applied for in 
1835, t'l^ plans having been drawn by Pro- 
fessor Turner, of Middlebury College. It 
was a qualified success, as it produced thirty 
revolutions to the minute, of a wheel, seven 
inches in diameter. They met with little en- 
couragement froiu anyone who saw their 
plans. (3n the contrary, no one placed the 
least faith in their in\-ention. — the \'illage pas- 
tor going so far as to say: 'Tf this wonderful 
power was good for anything, it would have 
been in use long before this." But undaunted 
they struggled on. and today, the world en- 
joys the fruit of their toil. \\'hen the now 
famous Morse visited their shop, he found 
what he was seeking, as he saw a current of 
electricity was passing through three miles of 
wire wound about a spool. He straightway 



330 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



went forth and developed the telegraph, from 
which he made a fortune, and the men, who 
were the real discoverers of the principle on 
which it is based, struggled on as before. 

Franklin Leonard Pope, a great authority 
on electricity, who had s])ent nuich time in re- 
searches in foreign countries, wrote a lengthy 
article in the January, iS8i, issue of Electrical 
Engineer, a scientific journal published in 
New York City, in which he devoted five 
pages to Mr. Smalley and Mr. Davenport, and 
their development of jjower l)y electro-mag- 
netism. He gave them due credit for their 
discoveries, and commented at length upon 
their genius and their struggle against great 
discouragements. Mr. Smalley devoted his 
entire life to this work, and the success which 
attended his efforts has already been men- 
tioned. 

The sul)ject of this sketch lived to become 
an octogenarian, and died in Brandon, Ver- 
mont, on .\pril 6, 1893. His death was greatly 
mourned as it deprived Rutland county of one 
of its distinguished citizens, and his towns- 
men, of a true and faithful friend. In politics, 
he was a T-iepublican. and for a number of 
years served in the cajiacity <if justice of the 
])eace. 




IIAUNCEY LEVI BAXTER, a ven- 
erable farmer and carpenter, resides on 
his sixty-acre farm near the vil- 
lage of Castleton, Rutland countv, \'ermont. 
Mr. Baxter is of Welsh descent. He comes 
of a hardy and long-lived race, and in both re- 



spects is a worthy scion of his line. He was 
born in Cornwall, Addison county, \'ermont. 
August 28, 1808, and is now past ninety-one 
years old. He is a son of William and Ruth 
(.\berns) Baxter and a grandson of William 
Baxter, Sr. 

The last named was a native of Rhode Isl- 
and. By his first marriage he had four sons : 
Francis; Moses; Benjamin; and Alexander; 
all four sons were soldiers in the Revolution- 
ary War, and proved themselves patriotic citi- 
zens, as well as fearless soldiers. His second 
marriage was contracted with "Sirs. Griggs, 
a widow, who bore him two sons and one 
daughter. The sons were named David and 
William. \\'illiam Baxter. Sr., lived "to the 
extremely old age of ninety-six years, dying 
in Enfield, Connecticut. 

William Baxter, father of the subject here- 
of, was born in Enfield, Conn., about the year 
1768. His marf-iage with Ruth Aberns re- 
sulted in the birth of nine children, — four 
sons and five daughters. One son and one 
daughter died young, another daughter died 
at fourteen years of age, and none but the 
subject of this sketch lived to attain the age of 
sixty years. Mrs. Baxter was born in Con- 
necticut, and was a few months older than 
her husband. 

Chauncey Levi Baxter had but few educa- 
tional ad\antages. His schooling was limited 
to the few moiUhs that he was able to attend 
school during the years of his boyhood and 
youth, until he was eighteen years of age. and 
to one year in Castleton Seminary. When not 
quite twenty years old, he married Philena 




JOHN U. HANKAHAX, M. D. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



333 



Peet, who was then hut sixteen. Mrs. Baxter 
was horn March 6, 1812, hi Middlebury, Ver- 
mont, and was married seventy-one years ago, 
March 20. 1828. Six children blessed their 
marriage, as follows: a son, who died in in- 
fancy ; Martha Jane ; Mary Ann ; Horace ; Lor- 
inda Z. ; and Luther L. 

Martha Jane is the wife of George H. Dan- 
iels, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and has one 
daughter. Mary Ann married Joseph Pritch- 
ard. He was drowned when twenty-three years 
of age, leaving his widow with one child. Mrs. 
Pritchard died at the home of her father, Oc- 
tober 16, 1876. Horace, who studied law, 
and was the editor of the Glencoe Register, 
in Minnesota, met with a fatal accident, in 
i860, at the age of twenty years, at Mauston 
Station, Wisconsin ; he was not married. Lor- 
inda Z. became the wife of William Wood- 
bury, and they live on the farm \\ith her 
father, the subject of these lines. Mr. and 
Mrs. \\'oodbury jiave two children : William 
I., who married Margaret Robertson, a native 
of Glasgow, Scotland, and resides in Brain- 
erd, Minn. ; and Mary P., who married Charles 
Kelleway, and has two daughters — Mary P. 
and Alida L. 

Luther L. Baxter, the only living son of 
the subject of this sketch, resides in Fergus 
Falls, Minnesota. He went to that state in 
1857. He first settled in Geneva, Wisconsin, 
where he met and married Emma Ward ; four 
children resulted from this union, of whom 
but one is now living, Chauncey L. His first 
wife having passed away, he married Barbara 
Pice, who left him one daughter, Bertha, at 



her demise. Judge Baxter's third wife, with 
whom he is now living, was Emma Childs. 
Chauncey L. Baxter, the only son of Judge 
Baxter, is a lawyer by profession. He was a 
captain in the 14th Reg., Minnesota Vol. In- 
fantry, in the Spanish-American War. He 
has a wife and daughter. Bertha, the only 
daughter of Judge Baxter, received a very 
fine education, and is a successful teacher in 
St. Cloud, Minnesota. Luther L. Baxter has 
been a very successful business man, and has 
acquired a handsome competency. He served 
in the Union army during the \\'ar of the Re- 
bellion and was discharged with his regiment 
in October, 1865, with the rank of colonel. 
For eighteen years he served in the upper and 
lower houses of the Minnesota Legislature, 
and did much in the framing of the laws of 
that state. Although a Democrat, he was 
appointed to the position of judge by a Re- 
publican governor, which position he has held 
for fifteen years, and still holds. He is a Thir- 
ty-second degree Mason. 

Chauncey Levi Baxter, the subject of this 
sketch, is an independent voter. He inherit- 
ed some land from his father, and located on 
his present farm, in 1861, where he has car- 
ried on general farming. He is a master Ma- 
son. 



OHN D. HANRAHAN, M. D., of Rut- 
land, Vermont, is a son of James anil 
Ellen (O'Connor) Hanrahan, and was 
born June 18, 1844, in Rathkeale, County 
Limerick, Ireland. 



334 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Dr. Hanrahan attended the national schools 
of Ireland until he was eleven years of age, 
and later the public schools and Free Acad- 
emy in New ^'ork City. He connncnced the 
study of medicine, in i860, with Dr. John K. 
Wright, who was at that time located in York- 
ville, New York. He attended four courses 
of lectures in the Medical Department of the 
University of the City of New York and was 
graduated from the same in March. 1867. In 
June. 1 86 1, he was, on examination (not hav- 
ing graduated), appointed surgeon in the 
United States Navy, and served through the 
entire war. The vessels on which he served 
did duty mostly on the rivers of Virginia and 
North Carolina, where his services and time 
were divided between the Army and Navy, 
thereby receiving the benefit and experience 
of both branches of the service, especially in 
the surgical line. In August, 1863. the vessel 
on which he was serving was captured at the 
mouth of the Rappahannock River, and all on 
board made prisoners. They were taken over- 
land to Richmond, \'irginia, and confined in 
Libby Prison. .\t that time the Confederates 
were very short of surgeons and medical sup- 
plies, and he was asked if he would go over 
to Belle Isle and attend the Union prisoners. 
After consulting witJi his fellow prisoners, he 
consented, and for six weeks attended the sick 
and wounded prisoners faithfullv under great 
disadvantages, as the supply of medicine and 
surgical appliances was very limited; he was 
subsequently paroled. While a prisoner of 
war, he was treated with the greatest cour- 
te.sy by the medical stafT ai)d officers of the 



Confederacy. After the close of the war, he 
was located in New York City for about one 
year, then in Montreal about a year, and for 
the past twentv-eight years has resided in Rut- 
land. \'ermont. He was town and citv phvsi- 
cian of Rutland for many vears, is now physi- 
cian and medical examiner for St. Peter's 
Hibernian Society; American Order of For- 
esters ; Catholic Order of Foresters ; Rutland 
Council Knights of Columbus; Queen of Ver- 
mont Circle companies. Foresters of America ; 
and examiner for several life and accident in- 
surance companies. He was surgeon of the 
3rd Regiment \^ermont National Guards imtil 
it was mustered out of service. 

Dr. Hanrahan is a member of the .\merican 
Medical Association; Vermont State Medical 
Society; Rutland Medical Clul); and a mem- 
l)er and first president of the Rutland County 
Medical and Surgical Society. He is a direc- 
tor and consulting surgeon of the Rutland 
Hospital, also of the Fanny Allen Hos- 
pital at Winooski, \"ermont ; and a mem- 
ber of the \'ermont Sanitary Association. 
During the t\\ entv-eight years (jf his residence 
in Rutland, lie has had a \ery large and suc- 
cessful practice, esijecially in the surgical and 
obstetrical line, and it is said by many of his 
brother physicians that lie has attended ?.s 
man\' cases of confinement as any one of his 
age, anywhere. He is the author of several 
medical papers, has perfonued many surgical 
operations, and has served through several 
epidemics of smallpox and diphtheria. 

Since its organization. Dr. Hanrahan has 
beeii an active member of the Grand Army 



RUTLAND COtJNTY 



335 



of the Republic. He is now surgeon of Rob- 
erts Post, the largest in Vermont, and is also 
for the third term medical director of the 
Department of Vermont ; he has served on 
the stafifs of three commanders-in-chief, — 
Veazey, Palmer, and Weissert. He was pres- 
ident of the United States pension examining 
board for four years under President Cleve- 
land, and treasurer of the same board four 
years under President Harrison. He was post- 
master of Rutland during the second term of 
President Cleveland. 

Our subject has taken quite an active part 
in local, state and national politics, has served 
many years on the Democratic state commit- 
tee, and has been chairman of the county 
connnittec. He was president of the city of 
Rutland two years and trustee eight years 
and was count}' commissioner one year. He 
was a delegate to the Democratic national 
conventions of 1884- 1888, and was chairman 
of the Vermont delegation in the convention 
of 1892. He has always been a Democrat 
and was a supporter of President Cleveland 
until the national convention of 1896, when, 
although postmaster under President Cleve- 
land, he espoused the cause of Hon. William 
Jennings Bryan, of whom he is an enthusias- 
tic admirer, and today firmly believes that 
Bryan will be the next Democratic nominee 
and that he will be elected president. 

Dr. Hanrahan has been an Irish Nation- 
alist all his life and a member of all the Irish 
societies, president of the Land League, etc. 
He is a member of the American Catholic 
Historical Society and was appointed a dele- 



gate from the Diocese of Vermont by Bishop 
De Goesbriand to the first American Catholic 
Congress and Catholic Centennial Celebra- 
tion, held in Baltimore, November 10, 1889; 
he is also a member of the American Irish 
Historical Society, of which he is vice-presi- 
dent for the State of Vermont. He is a mem- 
ber of the Rutland Board of Trade; a life 
member of the Rutland County Agricultural 
Society ; a member of the Rutland Lodge of 
Elks; St. Peter's Hibernian Benevolent 
Union ; American Order of Foresters ; Cath- 
olic Order of Foresters; Rutland Council, 
Knights of Columbus; and the Youno- Men's 
Catholic Union. He was a director of the 
original electric light company of Rutland, 
and a director of the New England Fire In- 
surance Company for several years. 

Dr. Hanrahan has been twice married: 
first to Mary A. Riley ; second to Frances N. 
Keenan, of Rutland. He has five children 
li\'ing: ]May, Anna, Hugh, Frances, and 
John P. A portrait of Dr. Hanrahan accom- 
panies this sketch. 




^AJOR JOSIAH W. SYMONS, a 
prominent member of the firm of 
Johnstone & Symons, dealers in 
monumental marble and granite, at Brandon, 
\'ermont, was born in the town of Chittenden, 
Rutland county, Vermont, July 3, 185 1. He 
is a son of Josiah and Grace (Shepherd) Sy- 
mons, and a grandson of John and Susan 
(Pierce) Symons. 



336 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



John Symons was born in Cornwall, Eng- 
lan'd. He was a mining captain in the copper 
mines of England. He married a Miss Pierce 
and reared three children, namely: Paul. 
Marv .\nn. and Josiah, Josiah W.'s father. 
Paul Svmons came to America about the year 
1840, leaving his family in England. In 1844, 
his wife, who was Alary Mildren before her 
marriage, came over with her first born, Jo- 
siah. This son died in I'lscanaba, .Michigan, 
in Februarv, i88q. leaving a wife and five 
children. He was a machinist by trade, hav- 
ing learned his trade in Providence, Rhode 
Island, bv serving an apiirenticeshi]). For 
some time he worked in the Rutland 
railroad shops, and subsec|uently went west, 
to r)ubu<|ue. la.. Rockford. III. and fnially. to 
Escanaba, Michigan. At the latter place he 
served as master mechanic of the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railway. 

Mary Ann Symons married James Hen- 
wood, of Callington, England. She is still 
(|uite active, at eighty-five years of age. Her 
onlv child, a daughter, came to .\menca. and 
wedded Thomas Carder, of Rutland. Mr. and 
Mrs. Carder have recently returned to her 
mother in England. 

Josiah Symons, Josiah W.'s father, was 
born in England, December 9, 1809. About 
the year 1841, he was joined in marriage with 
Grace Shepherd. In 1850, accompanied by 
three children, they sought a home in Amer- 
ica. They came by sail from Daventry, Eng- 
land. After a three months' voyage, which 
was botli tempestuous and dangerous, they 
landed at Boston, Massachusetts. Eight chil- 



dren were born to them, six of whom reached 
maturity. They finally drifted from one place 

to another, and the father died at Johnstown. 
Pennsylvania, on his fifty-sixtli birthdaw 
Paul, eldest brother of our Josiah \\'., resides 
in Plainfield, New Jersey. Mary Ann, a sis- 
ter, married J. R. Callihan. of Braddock, 
Peimsylvania. Susan, antjther sister, mar- 
ried Dr. Sandles. Both died and left an in- 
fant daughter. 

Josiah \\ . .Symons, the subject of this 
sketch, is. today, the youngest member of the 
family living. He was the sixth child of his par- 
ents. He was married more than twenty years 
ago, and has one daughter, Bessie Gertrude, 
who is not on])- an accomplished pianist, but is 
higlil) gifted in art. Some verv fine ]iaintings 
from her hand adorn the home, such as land- 
scapes, animals, flowers, etc. These paintings 
show rare skill for one so young, and indicate 
that by persevering industry and ap])lication, 
she may become a distinguished artist. Airs. 
.Svmons was the second child, and onl\- daugh- 
ter, of her parents. Her father was a ])ractical 
miner in England, and was sent for as a pros- 
pector for mines in America. He was one of 
the superintendents of, and a master workman 
on, the Croton water works. He went to 
Brandon and settled upon a farm for a time, 
but soon sold out and returned to Chittenden, 
where he was placed in charge of the man- 
ganese and iron ore bed. He accumulated a 
fine property which was left to Mrs. Symons. 
He died August 28, 1879, aged seventy years. 
His wife survived him many years, and passed 
to her final rest, January 14. 1891. They arc 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



337 



buried in the Forest Dale cemetery. Mrs. 
Synions was educated in the Brandon High 
School, from which her daughter, Gertrude, 
graduated in 1898. 

Mr. and Mrs. Symons reside in the home 
where Mrs. Symons' parents lived and died. 
Major Symons is an important personage in 
Masonic circles. He is a Knight Templar, 
and also a Mystic Shriner. He joined the 
militia, and rose to be a major. In 1897, how- 
ever, he resigned the majorship and is now on 
the retired list. In his political opinions. Ma- 
jor Symons proudly acknowledges that he is 
a Republican. He has served his party as 
constable, etc., and is serving his fourth year 
as one of the selectmen of Brandon. The 
firm of which the subject of this sketch is a 
member, has been doing a successful business 
ever since the concern was established, in 
1896. 

Major Symons is the outside man, Mr. 
Johnstone the inside man, while four or five 
assistants find employment in the shop. This 
firm turns out some very fine work in the dif- 
ferent marbles and granites, taken exclusively 
from the Ouincy and Barre quarries. Both 
members of the partnership are men of en- 
ergy and ability, and have established a trade 
second to none in the vicinity. 



r^ |RS. SARAH H. MARTIN, widow 
of the late Friend G. Martin, is a 
highly re-spected and worthy 
lady, residing on a fine farm in the town of 
Poultney, Vermont, one mile south of the 




village which bears the same name. This 
farm is on the old tiu'iipike road extending 
from Burlington to ♦New York. Less than 
half a century ago, it was a common spectacle 
to see coaches, each drawn l)y four, or si.x, 
horses, pass directly in front of the house 
where Mrs. Martin still resides. Friend G. 
Martin was born on the same farm, September 
7, 1833, ^"cl there also his death occurred, 
February 8, 1892. He was a son of George 
C. Martin, a grandson of Samuel Martin, and 
a great-grandson of James and Mary Martin. 

James and Mary Martin came from Scot- 
land to America, and occupied a farm in the 
town of Poultney, Vermont. They were in 
humble circumstances. James died in old age, 
and had jjreviously lost his wife, who was, 
also, advanced in years. Their remains rest 
in North Poultney. James ISIartin was noted 
for his industry in knitting, in his extreme 
old age. He and his good wife reared three 
daughters and six sons. 

The eldest son was Samuel, who was born 
in Scotland, in 1767, and was brought to 
America by his parents in 1774. He was 
reared to farm life and followed that occupa- 
tion in the town of Poultney. His residence 
was one mile south of the home of Mrs. Sarah 
H. Martin. He married Lucy Warner, of 
Poultney. The union resulted in the birth 
of ten children. 

George C. Martin, father of Friend G., pur- 
chased a half acre of land in the town of Poult- 
ney, upon which he built a part of the present 
residence of the subject hereof. He added to 
his original purchase from time to time until 



338 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



at length he accumulated a fine property. 

I pon this farm liis son. l'"rienil G. Martin, 
li\oil tiic most of his hfc. However, seven 
years were spent in the west during' which his 
family remained upon the old homestead 
farm. February 14, 1858, Friend G. Martin 
was joined in marriage with Sarah Hooker, 
the subject of these lines. 

Mrs. Martin was born in I lampion. New 
^'ork. May 7, 1833. She is a daughter of 
Martin P. and Garojine (Downs) Hooker, 
botli natives of Hampton. New York. Mrs. 
^lartin's mother died at the early age of forty- 
one and her father again married. He reared 
one daughter by this second union, namely: 
Minnie, wife of 1\. A. Williams, residing in 
the town of Ham])ton. Mrs. Martin is the 
eldest child of her parents and has one sister, 
Laura, wife of John D. Jones. 

The subject of this sketch has lost three 
of her ten children. Those who died were : a 
son who died in infancy; Caroline, who died 
at the age of seventeen montlis: and Minnie, 
who died when eight years old. Those liv- 
ing are : Lucy ; Samuel H. ; George P. ; Elisa- 
beth ; Fred ; Laura, and Calista. Lucy is a 
professional nurse. Samuel assists in man- 
aging the farm. George I', is an able street 
car conductor in the citv of Boston, Mass- 
achusetts. Elisabeth is the wife of Warren 
Shaw, in Granville. \'ermont. and has one 
daughter, Aljbie. Laura rmd Calista are l)oth 
young ladies, still at home. 

Fred Martin first saw the light of day on 
the old homestead farm Sci)teml)er 12, 1R70, 
He began the battle of life while still quite j 



young, and deserves much credit for making 
such a manly fight. The m.anagement of this 
fine farm dexolves princi])all_\- u[)on him, and 
his duties are well i)erformed. This ancestral 
heritage consisted of two hundred and forty 
acres, upon the death of his father, in 1892. 
It now contains three hundred acres, and is 
in a high state of cultixation. Besides carry- 
ing on general farming, Mrs. IVIartin constant- 
ly keeps over twenty fine milch cows. The 
products of the dairy are sold to the creamery. 
Two horses are also kept, in addition to the 
yoke of oxen, which is still almost indispen- 
sable in the New England State.s. In the 
midst of this happy group of sons and daugh- 
ters, who anticipate her every wish, the sub- 
ject of this sketch is spending the sunset of 
life in peace and ha])piness. 



m 



OBERT J. HUMPHREY, editor 
and proprietor of the "Poultney Jour- 
nal," a popular weekly, settled in 
his present home on Bently avenue, Poultne}', 
Vermont, in the spring of 1867. He erected 
his printing office in 1897, and not only pub- 
lishes a good weekly ])aper, but does a paying 
business in job printing. 

Mr. Humphrey was born in Wales, May 10, 
1833. He is the eldest of nine children, seven 
of whom were sons, and two were daughters. 
He is a son of John W. and Eleanor (Roberts) 
Hinn])hrey, a grandson of William and Cath- 
erine (James) Humphrey and a great-grand- 
son of Humphrey P. Humphrey, who was 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



339 



born in the north of ^\'ales, in 1755, and 
reared three sons, namely: John, 1)orn in 
1781 ; Humphrey, born in 1784; and WiHiam, 
born in 1787 : also one daughter, named Cath- 
erine, born in 1790. 

William Humi)hrey, Robert J.'s grand- 
father, was one of the survivors of the British 
army in the memorable battle of New Orleans. 
He served under General Pakenham. He was 
nn the way t.o Moscow, when Napoleon 
"met his Waterloo." He came to America 
in 1 83 1. William Hum])hrey was twice mar- 
ried. His marriage with Catherine James, in 
1808, resulted in the birth of four sons, 
namely: John \\'., father of Robert J. ; Eben- 
ezer; James; and William. The mother of 
these children died, and their father again 
married. Catherine Jones became his wife, 
and bore him five more sons, namely: Griffith 
G. ; Daniel ; Humphrey ; Ezra and Henry D. 
The last is still living in Prospect, New York. 
The mother of these children died in Rem- 
sen, Oneida county, New York, in November, 
1838. 

John W. Humphrey, father of Robert J., 
was born in W'ales, October 28, 1809. In 
1832, he was joined in marriage with Eleanor 
Roberts, also of \\"elsh nativity. She was 
born June 24, 181 1, and passed to her final 
rest May 14, 1879. She was survived by her 
husband until 1888, when he died, in the sev- 
enty-ninth year of his life. Their remains rest 
in Middle Granville, New York. Nine chil- 
dren were born of their happy union, of whom 
Robert J. was the eldest. The others are : 
Catherine; William; John A.; David J. 



Sidney; Daniel; Ebenezer and James Henry. 

Catherine is the widow of Robert W. Jones, 
of Middle Granville, New York. William 
died, in 1857, aged twenty-one years. John 
A. lost his wife and only child. He followed 
them to the grave, June 20, 1896. David J. 
is a harness maker, at Hoosick Falls, New 
York. Sidney and Daniel died when six years 
old. Ebenezer was born in 1847. and died in 
1879, leaving a widow, only. James Henry 
died, in 1857, at the early age of seven years. 

Robert J. Humphrey's parents came to 
America, in the spring of 1849. They were 
five weeks and two days in crossing the ocean. 
His father was a slate worker, and located at 
Whitesboro, Oneida county, New York. 
Within a vear, however, he removed to Cas- 
tleton Corners, Vermont, and worked in the 
slate quarry of A. W. Hyde, for several years. 
He then removed to Middle Granville, New 
York, and worked in the Penrhyn Slate Mills. 
These mills were operated and owned by a 
Welsh company, and were so named in honor 
of Lord Penrhyn, of \\'ales. 

At twelve years of age, Robert J. Humph- 
rey began working in the quarries with his 
father, before coming to America. He was 
sixteen years of age when the family crossed 
the ocean. March 14, 1854, Mr. Humphrey 
was joined in marriage with Delia Drake, a 
daughter of Julius and Sally (Tomlinson) 
Drake, of Castleton, Vermont. Soon after 
marriage, the young folk went west, and were 
located, for a short time, at Kankakee, Illi- 
nois. They next went south to Greenville, 
Washington county, Mississippi, where their 



340 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



first cliild was born. In the spring of 1857, 
tliey returned to Illinois, settling in Iroquois 
county, where the second child was horn. In 
September, 1859, they returned ea.st. and set- 
tled in Middle (Iranville. Washington countv. 
Xcw ^'ork. While residing there, four more 
children came to brighten their home. 

In 1866, Mr. Humphrey moved to Poult- 
ney, ^'ermont, anil entered the employ of J. J. 
Joslin, and he has made his home there ever 
since. Four sons were born to him there, of 
his first union. In 1878, Mr. Humphrev pur- 
chased the "Culletin" office, and published the 
"Poultney Journal," for three years. He then 
sold it to Frisbee & Hayles, and engaged in 
the slate business, buying and selling. In 
Xo\ember, 1876, his much beloved wife and 
faithful companion l)ecame ill. She died 
June 30, 1878, after a long and painful illness, 
leaving her husband and seven sons to mourn 
her loss. As she was a member of the Epis- 
copal church, si-.e was buried with lipiscopal 
services. Rev. E. Randall officiated at the 
funeral, assisted by Rev. Mr. Wasson. Her 
remains are resting in the Poultney cemeterv. 
The following are the names of her children : 
A\'. F., born April 16. 1856; Eva E., born 
June 19, 1858; John C, born October 21, 
i860; Eva, born August 1, 1862; George H., 
born July 2. 1S63; Flora, born February 19, 
1866; Louis H.. born September 12, 1867; 
Charles W., born January i, 1870: Albert D., 
born June 15, 1871, and Harold, born January 
2, 1876. The daughters died when each was 
about six months old. 

October 14, 1879, the subject hereof was 



again married. Miss Ella Spooner, of Poult- 
ney, became his wife, and bore him one 
daughter, Clara Mae, who was born Decem- 
ber 16, 1883, and is now a young lady, of six- 
teen years. She is attending school, and is 
cpiite an accomplished pianist. Mr. Humph- 
rey is a Mason of high degree. He is a 
Knight Templar, a member of Killington 
Commandery, No. 6. Rutland, Vt. ; Morning 
Star Lodge, No. 7,7; Poultney Chapter, No. 
10; and Morning Star Council, No. 10. 

In politics, the subject hereof is a Demo- 
crat. It is quite complimentary to him to 
note that, in 1890, he was elected to the legis- 
lature in a Republican town, and is the only 
Democrat ever elected to the legislature of 
Vermont, from Poultney. He is a vestryman 
of the Episcopal church, in which he was bap- 
tized in infancy. He has served as justice 
of the peace, and in minor offices. In 1886, 
he was appointed postmaster of Poultney, and 
served four years, and on President Cleve- 
land's re-election, he was again commissioned 
to the same office, and served two full terms. 

His eldest son, W. F., lives in Geneva, X. 
^'.. and is conducting a large and ])rosperous 
printing office, which he owns. He is mar- 
ried, and has one son. His next son, John, is 
also married, and has four children. He and 
Louis (unmarried) are with tlieir father. 
George H. is in Buffalo, N. Y., in the print- 
ing business, is married, and has two children. 
Charles W., a druggist in Poultney, is married 
and has one child. Albert died January 5, 
1 89 1. Harold is in Poultney; he is a clerk, 
and is married. 




ALEXANDl.R S. NEWTOX. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



343 




LEXANDER S. NEWTON, the head 
tlie Newton & Tlionipson Manufac- 
turing Company at Forest Dale in 
the town of Brandon, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, is one of the oldest and most honored 
citizens of that place. Mr. Newton was born 
in Huhljardton, Rutland county, on the site 
of the old battle ground, Fel)ruary 7, 1823. 
He is a soil of Rufus M. and Sally (Brown) 
Newton, and grandson of Ebenezer Newton. 

Ebenezer Newton was born in Keene, New 
Hampshire. He married a Miss Hubbard and 
reared a family of sons and daughters. He 
was a great hunter and trapper in Brandon 
before the town was organized — it was then 
known as Neshobe. He was a typical fron- 
tiersman and was a sturdy type of the early 
pioneer. He and his wife both sleep in the 
cemetery at Rochester, Vermont. She lived 
to be a centenarian and died in 1S39. Their 
children all lived and died in Vermont, their 
native state. 

Rufus Newton was born in 1775 and served 
in the ranks of the American army during the 
War of 18 1 2. About 1796 he married Sally 
Brown, who was liorn in 1777, a daughter of 
Joseph Brown, a prosperous merchant of 
Keene, New Hampshire. Soon after mar- 
riage, they settled on a farm in Rochester, 
Vermont, where they reared eight of their ten 
children. Those who reached maturity were : 
Ebenezer; Sarah; Harriet; Charles; Rufus; 
Mary ; Alexander S. ; and Maria. Ebenezer 
was born about 1799. He went to Cleveland, 
Ohio, where he died in the sixtieth year of 
his life. He had a wife and two children. 



Sarah married David Newton, her cousin. 
She died in Rochester, \'ermont, in 1889. 
Two of her three children survived her, — 
Mrs. Hattie E. Clark, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 
who died in September, 1892. and Mrs. Emily 
O. Per.sons, now of Chicago, 111. Her son, 
Charles G., a cajjtain of a Vermont company 
in the Union army, was killed in the battle of 
Cold Harbor. 

Harriet married Rufus M. Green, of Poult- 
ney, and died in middle life, leaving one child. 
Charles, w^ho died in Castleton, Vermont, was 
a Congregational minister and never mar- 
ried. Rufus was a cabinetmaker in Saratoga, 
where he died at the advanced age of seven- 
ty-five years; three of his four children sur- 
vived him. Mary married Asa Goodnough, of 
Brandon, wdiere she died in 1844; three chil- 
dren survived her. Maria married John In- 
galls, of Ashland, Dodge county, Minnesota, 
where they ware pioneers forty-four years 
ago ; they have one daughter and three sons, 
and also several grandchildren. 

Subject's father died in Forest Dale, in 
1858, and was followed to the grave by his 
widow in 1862. They rest in the cemetery 
in Brandon. The father was a Baptist, wdiile 
the mother worshiped with the Congregation- 
alists. Although they were in good circum- 
stances they never accumulated much prop- 
erty. 

Alexander S. Newton was educated in tiie 
public schools. When fourteen years old he 
began learning the cabinetmaker's trade in 
Brandon, with Deacon Knowdton, serving 
seven years. He not only provided for him- 



344 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



self but assisted in providing a home for liis served in the Legislature, in T(Sq2. He has 
jjarents. In February. 1S38. Mr. Xewton also served as selectman, and in other town 



icil Sylvia Hack, w ho bore him three chil- | offices. 



drcn. two oi whom outHsed her. namclv, 



The plain, but most substantial, large resi- 



Alicc lTann;di. and Mary lunm.'i. The former I dence of our subject is ])artl_\- frame and parth 



married Samuel \\'ashburn and the latter l)e- 
came the wife of Rollin Wood and died in 
1892, lea\ing t\v(_) children. Mr. .Xewlon's 
first wife died in 1859. and some time after 
he wedded h'sther .\. .\ustin. of Rochester, 
\'ermont. She is a daughter of Stillman and 
1-ouisa (I'landersi Austin. .Mrs. Newton's 
maternal great-grandfather, Reuben George, 
and his seven sons, were soldiers in the Revo- 
lutionary War. 

Mr. and Mrs. Xewton h;i\e lost two daugh- 
ters; one died in infancy: \'i()la died at the 
tender age of five years: they still have five 
children living, as follows: Eifgene A.: Irv- 
ing C. ; Charles S. : Etta I,.: and Leila ' 1. 
Eugene A., who resides in I'orest Dale, is a 
miller by occupation, and h;is a wife and four 
ciiildren. Irving C. is also married and re- 
sides in Ticonderoga, Essex countv, Xew 
York. Charles S. finds employment in his 
father's factory. Etta L. married \Mlson T. 
Smith, of Brandon, and they have three chil- 
dren. Leila G. married Paul Field, of the 
same j^lace. 

IMr. and Mrs. Newton ha\e se\-enteen 
grandchildren. One of these, .Mma I'lsther, a 
daughter of Eugene A., lives with our sub- 
ject and his wife. Mr. Newton and his three 
sons are all members of the Masonic frater- 
nity. Mr. Newton is also a charter member 
of the I. O. O, F. He is a Republican and 



solid stone. It was erected by Royal Blake 
seventy-five years ago and became the home 
of our subject and his family, a (piarter of a 
centin-y ago. The spacious grounds w ith for- 
est and shade trees and the hundred-acre farm 
make it a fine house and a charming rural 
retreat. 

The Xewton & Thompson Manufacturing 
Com])any, of which our subject is the presi- 
dent and leading member, was established in 
1856 by our subject and P)enoni Howard. The 
firm name was H(j\\ard, Xewton iS; Comi);m\'. 
Ten years later it became Xewton i\: Thoni])- 
son. In 1883 the company was incorporated 
with .\. S. Xewton. as president: C. II. Bump. 
\ ice-])resident : L. J. Fortier, treasurer; ami 
E. C. Thompson, secretary. In 1897, Edward 
C. Thompson died and since then the stvle 
of the com])an\- has been the Xewton & 
Thompson M.anufacturing Comi)an\', with L. 
J. Fortier as secretary and treasiu'er. This is 
one of the oldest and most successful estab- 
lishments of its kind in the L^nited States and 
furnishes emplovment to a great number of 
men. The first automatic machine for novelty 
turning was Mr. Xewton's own invention and 
was the foundation of the business. This is 
one of the few business enter]>rises that has 
continued to pay every month and never shut 
down for more than a month during the most 
critical panics. The secret of its success has 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



345 



Jieen and is tlie meclianical genius and perse- 
\erance of Air. Xewton, wliose untiring ener- 
gy and skill has contrilnited so largely to the 
henefits of the whole community. A great 
many of the improvements arc also due to the 
general manager, C. H. Bump, who has 
served as general manager since the com- 
pany's incorporation. Also mention should 
be made of E. C. Thompson, to whom as a 
man of untiring energy the company's success 
is largely due. 

The publishers of this work take pleasure 
in announcing that an excellent portrait of 
Mr. Newton, executed from a recent ])hoto- 
graph, is presented on a preceding pa^e. 



T^HARLES HOWARD DUNTON, 
I J| A. M., D. D. Among the ablest edu- 

^ ' cators of the Green Mountain State, 

stands Professor Charles Howard Dunton, 
the subject of this sketch. Dr. Dunton was 
connected with the Troy Conference Acad- 
emy, at Poultney, Vermont, for a quarter of 
a century. On account of failing" health, he 
retired, in 1897. from that institution, of which 
he had been principal for twenty years. 

Charles Howard Dunton was born at Un- 
derbill, Vermont, January 24, 1844, of sturdy 
New England parentage. His early life was 
spent on the farm where he gained that ro- 
bustness and strength of body which enabled 
him to bear up so long under the arduous 
toil of later years. From the district school 
he went to the New Hampton Institute, at 



Fairfax, Vermont. In 1870, he graduated 
from the University of Vermont, and in 187 1- 
1872, he ])ursued a post-graduate course at 
Boston University. His degree of A. M. was 
received from his alma mater, -and in 1886, 
Syracuse University conferred upon him the 
degree of D. D. \A'lien in the dark hours of 
1862, the call came for more volunteers, the 
suliject hereof, though but eighteen years of 
age, left the teacher's desk and went to the 
front. He enlisted as a private in Company 
F, i3t]i Reg., X'ermont Vol. Infantry, and 
after a creditable service of six months, he 
contracted a serious illness and was honorably 
discharged for disability. 

When Dr. Dunton ended his studies in Bos- 
ton, he entered the Troy Conference of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. Previous to 
this, he supplied the pulpit of that church, at 
Johnson, Vermont. His first regular appoint- 
ment, however, was in 1872, when he was sent 
to Alanchester and Dorset. In 1874, he was 
elected a teacher of natural science in Troy 
Conference Academy at Poultney. This in- 
stitution had been suspended for several years, 
but was reopened at that time. For three 
years Dr. Dunton continued there to teach 
natural science and, also, mathematics. In 
1877, he was cliosen ])rincipal of that 
academy. 

For twenty years, he directed its growth. 
During that time, four hundred students 
graduated from the musical and literary 
courses, to sa_\' nothing of the number who 
were trained in the commercial department. 
As a teacher, he was most thorough ; as a dis- 



346 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ciplinarian. he wns kind to the young offender 
hut severe with the incorrii^-ihle element: as 
a counselor, he was wise and ihouLjhtful. His 
early struggles ga\'e him a tender concern 
for the jxjor student who was "working his 
way" through school, and the young man or 
woman who earnestly desired an education, 
was nc\er turned away from the lialls of the 
academy. .Many men and women, who rank 
high in their respective walks of life, owe their 
start to the generosity and sympathy of Dr. 
Dunton ami to this day the meniorv of his 
noble, unselfish life, while at the academy, 
still urges them onward to a higher ideal of 
Christian manhood. 

Dr. Dunton's career as a citizen and as a 
church member is also most noteworthv, l)ut 
it is as an etlucatnr that he lias made an en- 
viable record. His ability in this direction 
has not been unrecognized b\- either the 
church or the state. For ten years, he was 
appointed by the successive governors of \'er- 
mont, as one of the state examiners of normal 
schools. He was also one of the delegates 
of this state to the Interstate Educational 
Convention at Louisville, Kentuckv, in 1883, 
from which bod_\- emanated the famous Blair 
Educational bill. 

Dr. Dunton has served several years as 
president of the National Association of Prin- 
cipals of Methodist Seminaries. He is always 
a prominent figure at the annual conference 
meetings. In 1892, lie was elected one of the 
delegates to the general conference at Omaha, 
and while there, he served on some of the 
jjroniinent conmiiltees. For a long period, 



he was one of the board of examiners of Troy 
Conference, before which body all applicants 
for admission, and undergraduate preachers, 
nnist ap])ear for e.xaminaticjn. In Jmie, 1897, 
Dr. Dunton, on account of failing health, 
severed his connection with the Troy Con- 
ference Academy at Poultney, and has enjoyed 
a brief period of recreation. In 1897, lie was 
elected comity examiner of teachers for Rut- 
land county. In the fall of 1898, he was 
elected to the lower house of the legislature, 
and was chairman of the committee on educa- 
tion. As a citizen. Dr. Dunton has always 
taken an active interest in the affairs of the 
tow n. state and nation. He keeps well posted 
on the political movements of the day, and is 
often consulted in regard to matters of mo- 
ment in connection with local affairs. He has 
ser\'ed as chairman of the Law and Order 
League. In his political views, he is a Repid:)- 
lican. 

Charles Howard Dunton is a son of Elijah 
and Mary .\nn ( French) Dunton, and a grand- 
son of I'llijah and Lydia (Coolidge) Dunton. 
The grandfather of Dr. Dunton was wounded 
in the battle of Plattsburg. New York, Sep- 
tember II, 1814. He was a tavern keeper 
many years. He w-as united in marriage with 
Lydia Coolidge, a sister to the famous Quaker 
publisher, Daniel Coolidge. The latter was a 
puldishcr in Xew York City for many years, 
and was succeeded by his two sons, George 
and William, who were successful publishers 
of blank books, etc. They also published the 
"Webster Spelling Book." 

Dr. Dunton's grandparents reared four 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



347 



children: Warren, wlio died wlien twenty 
years old ; Elijah, the Doctor's father ; Almira ; 
and Rachel. The father of these children died 
when fifty-four years old, and rests at West 
Port, New York. His widow died in the sev- 
entieth year of her life, and sleeps at North 
Underhill, \"ermont. 

Elijah Dunton, father of the subject hereof, 
was born at \\'est Port, New York, April i, 
1811. In 1839. he was joined in marriage 
with jMary Ann French, a ilaughter of Jon- 
athan and ( Palmer) French. Dr. Dun- 
ton's parents spent the most of tiieir lives on 
their farm in Underhill, Vt., where their six 
children were born. Of these children, only 
three are now living, namely: George C, 
who resides on the old home farm; Martha P., 
a teacher in Troy Conference Academy; and 
Charles Howard, the subject of this biogra- 
phy. The first born, Anna, died wdien twenty- 
six years old. William F. died, in 1888, in 
Minnesota. He was unmarried. No record 
of Dr. Dunton's life would be complete with- 
out appropriate mention of his estimable wife 
to whom he ascribes much of his success. 
June 26, 1872, he was united in marriage with 
Nettie W. Belding, an accomplished daugh- 
ter of Judge Samuel and Flavia (Waterman) 
Belding, of Johnson, Vermont. 

Mrs. Dunton was born in 1844. She 
was educated at Johnson Normal School, and 
Fort Edward Institute. Her musical studies 
were completed in London and Paris. After 
teaching in various states she became the wife 
of the subject hereof, — then a young Meth- 
odist pastor. She accompanied him to Poult- 



ney, and has ever aided him with her counsel, 
and taken a deep interest in his chosen work. 
For ten years, Mrs. Dunton taught vocal and 
instrumental music at Troy Conference Acad- 
emy. She has always been intensely inter- 
ested in temperance work. She was president, 
for four years, of the Burlington district, 
W. H. M. S. of the M. E. church. 

In his denomination, Dr. Dunton is without 
doubt or question placed in the front rank, 
in Vermont. His untiring energy and educa- 
tional ability have brought him well merited 
success in his chosen calling, to which he has 
ever been most devoted. He has recently ac- 
cepted the position of Dean of the Claflin 
University, at Orangeburg, South Carolina. 
It is his intention to leave temporarily his 
magnificent home which he built, in 1886, 
near the academy, for the scene of his new 
labors. One thing is certain. Dr. and Mrs. 
Dunton will be followed to their southern 
home by the sincerest wishes of the whole 
community for their welfare and continued 
prosperity. Let us hope that in the sunny 
south, they will find the "fountain of per- 
petual youth" which Ponce De Leon, and 
many others, liax'e sought in vain. 



i^A.\RKER JONES, deceased, was born 
in Hillsboro, New^ Hampshire. He 
was a son of Ebenezer Jones, a prom- 
inent farmer of that locality. Parker Jones 
was reared on his father's farm and 
when fifteen vears old, became a clerk 



348 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



at the famous Astor House in New j liis wheat in Troy, New York, which was then 
"Wjrk Citv. He was with that house for a ' the nearest market. He married Temperance 
jjeriod of thirtv-rtve years and tilled all the ■ Willie, wlm had two sisters. Luc\- antl Sally, 
positions u]) to that of nianaj^er. He was 
very popular with the .\stors, who appreciated 



his worth. He had many other friends among 
prominent and noted people of the day. He 
was a close friend of Franklin Pierce and was 
frequently an honored guest at the White 
House. Mr. Pierce was horn in the .same 
town. Mr. Jones also partook of the hospital- 
ity of .Vhraham Lincoln and Daniel Webster. 
June 14, 1859, he was united in marriage with 
Julia Clara Andrus. After ten years of 
wedded bliss, Mr. Jones died, in 1869, at the 
Astor House. His remains were interred in 
the lot marked l>y the family monument in 
Pawlet cemetery. Among the host of sor- 
rowing friends who attended the last sad cer- 
emonies, was a large delegation from the mer- 
chants and press of New York City, and many 
other admirers of Mr. Jones. Notable among 
these were Mayor Hoffman. .\. T. Stewart, 
and Thurlow Weed. The latter had just re- 
turned from luu-ope. 

Julia Clara Jones, widow of Parker Jones, 
is a daughter of Ezra and Xancy ( McIOaniels) 
Andrus. and granddaughter of John H. and 
Temperance (Willie) Andrus. h>hn H. An- 
drus was born in Norwich. Conn., about 
1764. .\bout 1785, he trayeled to Ver- 
mont on foot, and began life for him- 
self in the woods of the Green Moun- 
tain State. He cleared some land and 
within a few years his crop of wheat amounted 
to 1,000 bushels. He found a ready market for 



John H. .Xndrus and his wife were blessed 
with ti\e daughters and two sons. The sons 
were: Ezra and John. Ezra Andrus was 
born in the town of Danby. N'ermont, in Aug- 
ust. 1799. About 1820, he was joined in wed- 
lock \\ith Xancy McDaniels, a daughter of 
James and Sail}- (Harrington) McDaniels. 
The young couple began life on the ancestral 
farm of the husband, who was an able farmer, 
iiimself. He was recognized as one of the 
leading farmers of his district, where all his 
life he was an esteemed and worthy citizen. 
Prior to his death he had a long antl tedious 
illness; although he suffered much, he was 
heroic and bore his pain patiently. He was a 
Christian and was prepared to die when 
the final summons came. He ilied in 1864, 
aged sixty-five vears. His widow sur\i\ed 
him man}- years and finally jjassed away, 
March 22, 1886. Ten children were born to 
this worthy couple, seven of whom were 
daughters and tiiree were sons, and all of them 
were given exceptionally good educational 
advantages. They were nametl as follows : 
Sally -Ann. VXviw .\nn. .\ancy .Maria, 
James McD., Julia I'lara. John Holmes, 
.Marv ]<Isther, Merritt C. Cordelia Caroline, 
and Alta, who died young. Sally .\nn 
married Mark II. Wooster, and at her 
death left three children. Eliza .\nn married 
Dr. Phineas Strong. She died in F>uffalo, 
Xew York, i)ast nnddle age, three sons and 
one daughter surviving her. Mary T'^sther 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



349 



is a maiden lady and also resides at the old 
homestead. Cordelia Caroline married Col. 
Birge. of Chicago, and died in Grand Rapids. 
Mich., leaving one son who is now deceased. 

Nancy Maria married Jolm Hntchins Mea- 
don ; he was horn in Albany, New York, of 
English parentage and received liis education 
there. His grandfather, Re\-. William Webb, 
D. D., was pastor over a church in that city 
for forty years. Mr. Meadon in early life was 
in business in Cincinnati, (3hio. He after- 
wards conducted a successful Ijusiness in his 
native place, still later going to Troy, N. Y., 
\\here he was one of G. V. S. Quackenbusli 
& Co.'s most trusted buyers for thirty years. 
He died in New York City April 9, 1886. 
Mrs. Meadon lives with her sisters and 
brother on the homestead farm in Pawlet. 

John Holmes Andrus, brother of Mrs. 
Jones, went to New York City while still a 
young man. He found employment in the 
postoifice, where he remained three years. 
Later, he accepted a position with the x-\dams. 
Express Company and remained in their em- 
])loy thirty-one years. He was exceedingly 
popular and made a fine record in the express 
business. When the company erected its 
large, uptown office at Number 12, West 
23rd street, in 1873. it was the first large 
'business house on that street between Fifth 
and Sixth avenues. John H. Andrus was 
placed in charge of the new office as soon as it 
was completed and had full charge of all the 
company's business in that office until his 
death, Mr. Andrus was an unmarried man 
but was most genial and warm-hearted. He 



was especially affectionate and kind to his 
sisters and nieces, to whom he was also very 
indulgent. He died in New York City July 
25, 1895. His remains were brought to Paw- 
let for interment l)v his sister, ]\Irs. ]\feadon, 
who was accompanied In' two officials of the 
Adams Express Company. The funeral serv- 
ices were held at the old homestead. 

James McD. Andrus, eldest brother of Mrs. 
Jones, is a progressive farmer in the town of 
Pawlet, Rutland county, \'ermont. He re- 
sides in one of the most picturesque and beau- 
tiful residences of that vicinity. His home is 
called "Bonnie View" and is a most delightful 
spot. The house is about one hundred years 
old, but has been remodeled, with ample ver- 
andas on two sides. This gives it the appear- 
ance of a modern farm cottage. ]\Ir. Andrus 
was born on an adjoining farm August 13, 
1831, and received his education at the Troy 
Conference Academy. He afterwards taught 
school during the winter months for several 
years. He spent one year in a drug store in 
Troy, New York. February 24, 1870, he was 
joined in marriage with Sarah Grace Otis, 
a daughter of William and Delia (Peck) Otis, 
of Danby, Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. .A.ndrus 
have four children, namely : Cordelia Caro- 
line. Caasi McD., John Holmes, and William 
Otis, who is fourteen years of age. These 
children are all living at home. I\Ir. Andrus 
is an ardent Democrat, and has served in some 
of the town ofifices. He worships at the M. 
E. church, of which Mrs. Andrus is a member. 
Both are valued members of society. 

After the death of her husband, Mrs. Jones 



350 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



purchased the old homestead in Pawlet, where 

she anil her two sisters, Mrs. John 11. Meadon 
and Mary Esther .\ndrus, reside, together 
with their x'on nicest brother. .Merrill C. An- 
drus. It is one of the best located and most 
attractive places in Rutland county. 



CBENEZER JOLLS ORMSBEE of 
Brandon, Rutland county, Vermont. 
' son of John Mason and Polly (Will- 
son) Ormsbee, was born in Shoreiiam, Addi- 
son county, Vermont, June 8th, A. D. 1834. 

He received the education afforded by the 
common schools of the state and the acad- 
emies at Brandon and South Woodstock, Ver- 
mont, dividing his time between the farm 
and the school until his majority, when he 
taught school winters while acquiring the 
higher branches taught in the academy. 

He began the study of tlie law in the of^ce 
of Briggs and Nicholson, at Brandon, in 1857, 
and was admitted to tlie liar of Rutland county 
at the March term of court in i86t. 

Instead of entering upon the practice of his 
profession at once he enlisted in the "Allen 
Grays," a miUtary company of Brandon, in 
April. 1861 ; this company became Company 
G of the First Regiment. Vermont Vols., and 
having been elected second lieutenant thereof, 
he was commissioned as such April 25th, 1861. 
and was with his company in the service of the 
United States during the term of its enlist- 
ment, being mustered out of the United States 
service August 15th, 1861. Returning home, 



he again enlisted in Company G of the 12th 
Reg't.. \'ermont Vols., was elected captain 
of the compan_\- and conmiissioned September 
22nd. 1862. This regiment was attached to 
tlie Second Vermont Brigade, commanded 
by Gen. Stannard. and was assigned to duty 
within the defences of Washington and con- 
tinued in the performance of that duty until 
June. 1863. when it became the Third Brigade 
of the Third Division of the First Army Corps. 
Arm\- of the Potomac, and history gives to 
this brigade a prominent and noteworthy part 
in the battle of Gettysburg. — the term of en- 
listment of the 1 2th Vermont Reg't. expired 
on the last day of the battle. Capt. Ormsbee 
was with his company constantly during its 
term of service, sharing the dangers and hard- 
ships of his men and was again nuistered out 
with them. July 14th. 1863. 

Taking up the duties of ci\-il life, he com- 
menced the practice of law at Brandon, in the 
s])ring of 1864 as a partner of Anson A. Nich- 
olson, which ])artnershiii continued until 1868, 
when he became the ])artner of Hon. Ebenezer 
N. Briggs, with whose son (Hon. George 
Briggs) he is now engaged in the practice of 
his profession at Brandon. Was appointed 
Assistant United States Internal Revenue 
Assessor in 1868. serving as such until 1872. 
Was elected States Attorney for Rutland 
county, 1870 to 1874: Town Representative 
from Brandon, in the General Assembly of the 
State in 1872 and Senator from Rutland 
county in that body hi 1878. Appointed and 
served as a Trustee of the Vermont Reform 
School from 1880 to 1884, when he was elected 




PROF. ABEL EDGAR LEAVENWORTH. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



353 



Lieutenant Governor of the State and was 
elected Governor of tlie State in 1886 and oc- 
cupied tliat office for two years, his term of 
office expiring in October, 1888. 

Among many other positions of trust and 
confidence to which he has been called, is that 
of Chairman of a Commission to treat with 
the Pi Ute Indians at Pyramid Lake, Nevada, 
concerning the relinquishment of a portion of 
their reservation to the United States, to 
which he was appointed by the President in 
1891, and later in the same year, he was ap- 
pointed by the President as the United States 
Land Commissioner at Samoa, the duties of 
which office he discharged until May i6th, 
1893, when he resigned on account of personal 
duties at home and returned to this country 
and resumed the practice of his profession. 

The subject of this sketch has been twice 
married. In 1862 to Jennie L. Briggs, daugh- 
ter of Hon. E. L. Briggs of Brandon, and in 
1867, to Frances (Wadhams) Davenport, 
daughter of William L. Wadhams of West- 
port, N. Y. 

Always an ardent Republican in politics, he 
has been an active member of the State Re- 
publican Connnittee and a firm supporter of 
the principles and policy of that party. 

He is a member of St. Paul's Lodge, F. Sc 
A. M. of Brandon, and has long been a com- 
rade of E. J. Ormsbee Post No. 18, G. A. R., 
of Brandon. 

His religious preference is that of Episco- 
palian and for many years has been and now 
is the Senior Warden of St. Thomas Church, 
Brandon. 



He is now (1899) engaged in the practice 
of his profession at Brandon, although for 
several years, he has devoted the principal 
part of his time to the performance of his du- 
ties as receiver of the Vermont Investment & 
Guarantee Company of Orwell, Vermont, and 
one of the Debenture Trustees of said com- 
pany. 




ROF. ABEL EDGAR LEAVEN- 
WORTH, an honored and esteemed 
citizen of Castleton, Vermont, whose 
portrait is presented with this sketch, is re- 
garded as one of the ablest educators of his 
dajf. Almost his entire life has been spent as 
an instructor. In 1897, on account of failing 
health, Prof. Leavenworth resigned from the 
presidency of the State Normal School at 
Castleton, a position filled by him for many 
years in a most capable manner. 

He was born at Charlotte, Vermont, Sep- 
tember 3, 1828, and is a son of Abel. Jr., and 
Anna (Hickok) Leavenworth, and grandson 
of Abel, Sr., and Lydia (Bartlett) Leaven- 
worth. The family originally came from Eng- 
land. The first to leave the mother country 
for America was one Thomas Leavenworth 
who settled in Woodbury, Connecticut, 
where he died in 1683. His son. Dr. Thomas, 
was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, or, pos- 
sibly, in England, in 1673. He was a man of 
energy, position, and wealth. From him 
have descended men of influence, among 
them professional men, several of whom were 



354 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



physicians of note. His son, also called 
Thomas, was the great-grandfather of our 
subject. This latter Thomas was born at 
Stratford, Connecticut, lie was aniony the 
refugees (lri\-en by the Indians from the 
Wyoming \'alle_\-, then in Connecticut, but 
now included in I'ennsvlvania. He lived to 
be an octogenarian and died in the town of 
Hamden, Connecticut. 

Abel Leavenworth, Sr., grandfather of our 
subject, was born at Woodbury. Connecticut, 
January 30, 1765. and died in Aliddlcbury, 
X'ermont, January 2^, 1813. His marriage 
with Lydia Bartlett took place at Charlotte, 
\'ermont, November 29, 1791. Lydia was a 
daughter of Klihu and Statira ( Aleigs) Bart- 
lett, and her paternal grandfather was Rev. 
Moses Bartlett, who was born in Guilford, 
Connecticut, in .\ugust, i//-'. Ilcr maternal 
grandfather was Deacon Timothy Meigs, who 
was a descendant of Rev. .Vbraham Pierson, 
the fir.st president of Yale College. 

.\bel Leavenworth, Sr.. was a carpenter by 
trade. He built a mill at Charlotte, X'ermont, 
and settled there in the woods. At that time 
no roads had been built and nothing but bri- 
dle-paths led t(i his new and secluded habita- 
tion. He and his worthy wife reared fi\-e sons 
and three daughters. 

Abel Leavenworth. Jr., was born in Char- 
lotte, Vermont, Xovember _'4, 1800. and died 
at the same place May 3. 1S79. He was twice 
married. January \2. 1S26, his marriage with 
Anna Hickok was consunnuated. This union 
resulted in the birth of nine children, — three 
sons and si.\ daughters. Mrs. Leavenworth 



was a daughter of .\mos and .\nna (Foote) 
Hickok. Our subject's father was a marble 
manufacturer in Charlotte, Vermont, in early 
life, but subsequently removed to Madrid, St. 
Lawrence county, X. Y., where he remained 
twehe years. In 1S44. however, he returned 
to Charlotte. He was an officer in the artil- 
lery of the old state militia. Six children of 
his first marriage reached adult life, namely: 
.\bel L., subject of these lines; Lydia Anna; 
Louisa Miller; Lucy Jane; Charlotte Laura; 
and Sarah Sabrina. Lydia .\nna now resides 
in Burlington, \'t. ; she is the widow of the 
late Alfred Sherman of Charlotte, Vermont. 
Louisa Miller resides in Castleton. Lucy 
Jane married J. N. Alvord, and died in 
Decker, 111., Xovember 19, 1865, leaving two 
sons who are now in Te.xas. 

Charlotte Laura, who resides in Castleton, 
is the widow of Joshua Russell. Sarah Sabri- 
na is the wife of S. S. Tuttle and resides in 
California. The beloved mother of these chil- 
dren passed to her eternal rest December 10, 
1849. April 10. 1S51, .\bel Leavenworth 
again married. This time Mary E. Joslyn 
became his wife and bore him three children, 
namely : Mary Elizabeth, who died when four- 
teen years old; Amy Jeannette. who was born 
in Charlotte. \'ernKMU, .Vugust 9, 1854; and 
hdla Maria, who was born December 6, 1856, 
and died when l)Ut ele\cn vears old. 

I'rof. Lea\enworth was reared on a farm 
where he remained until after his twent\-first 
birthday. He attended the district school dur- 
ing his early youth. This was supplemented 
by a preparatory course, at Hinesburg Acad- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



355 



emy, which course he completed at the age of 

seventeen. He then engaged in teaching dur- 
ing the winter, follow ing that occupation until 
he attained the age of twenty-one when he left 
the farm and entered the University of Ver- 
mont at Burlington. He was one of the 
founders of the Delta Psi fraternity and also 
a member of other societies. On account of 
an injury to his head, young Leavenworth 
was advised to go south. He became prin- 
cipal of the Bolivar Female Academy, in Polk 
county, Missouri, where he remained until 
1855. Upon leaving for that section of the 
country he received high testimonials from 
President Worthington Smith, D. D., en- 
dorsed by ex-Governor ^\'illiam Slade, of 
Vermont. 

Prof. Leavenworth was principal of Hines- 
burg, Vermont, Academy for five years before 
the war. He next took charge of a boarding 
school for boys at Brattleboro, Vermont. Lie 
then enlisted in the army and made a most 
worthy record, which will be mentioned later. 
At the same time he was part owner and edi- 
tor of the "Vermont School Journal." Re- 
turning from war, Prof. Leavenworth again 
took charge of the Hinesliurg Academy where 
he was principal for three years. Later he 
was principal of the New Haven Academy 
for seven years; he established there courses 
of studies, secured a fund of $11,000, and the 
school was incorporated as Beaman Academy 
in honor of the largest donor. This latter posi- 
tion he resigned to accept that of principal of 
the State Normal School at Randolph, Ver- 
mont. This important position was held by 



our subject from December, 1874, till August, 
1879. During that time Prof. Leavenworth 
signed certificates of ten graduating classes, 
comprising about 239 graduates. 

For twenty-five years our subject was an 
active member of the Chittenden County 
Teachers' Association, and filled every office 
including the presidency. He was an active 
member of tlie State Teachers' Association 
from 1859 until his retirement, and was its 
president for two years. He was one of the 
six teachers selected by the state to examine 
and select text books for the public schools. 
From 1879 to 1881 he was engaged in general 
educational interests. In 1881 Prof. Leaven- 
worth went to Castleton and purchased the 
real estate of the Rutland County Normal 
School. For sixteen years he was principal 
of that school which he conducted by author- 
ity of the legislature, and was the proprietor 
of that fine property. This school was estab- 
lished October 15, 1787, and in 1887 cele- 
brated its centennial. About 600 former stu- 
dents were present and were banqueted in a 
royal manner, in the elegant park of sugar 
maple and elm trees. The occasion was not 
unlike a patriotic Fourth of July celebration 
and will long be remembered. 

About 1892 the health of our subject began 
to fail and he took his son in as his assistant. 
This son, Philip Reynolds Leavenworth, a 
graduate from Yale Lhiiversity in 1892, con- 
tinued to assist his father until the latter re- 
signed in 1897, when he succeeded him as 
principal. Philip Reynolds Leavenworth was 
joined in marriage with Sarah Theodocia Al- 



356 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



len, of Hadley, Massachusetts, a graduate of 
Smith College. The Normal School at Castle- 
ton had some important changes during the 
principalship of our subject. The preparatory 
department has been discontinued. This fa- 
mous institution of learning has graduated 
some hnc classes, and has turned out men and 
women who liave made their mark in the 
world. It is now conducted by the state and 
graduates but one normal class each year. 

Prof. Lea\'enworth has been twice married. 
September 14, 1853, he was joined in mar- 
riage with IMary Evelina Griggs in Corning, 
New York. She proved a faithful companion 
to him until cut ofif by death, July 30, 1877. 
She bore her husband seven children, namely: 
Anna Maria ; Francis Abel ; Samuel Edgar ; 
Clarence (jreenman : William Stowell ; Emily 
Ixeynolds; and Philip Reynolds. Anna ^laria 
was born at Bolivar, Missouri, August 7, 1854, 
and died at Hinesburg, Vermont, February 6, 
1859. Francis Abel was born at Hinesburg, 
May 20, 1856, and died at Middlebury, Ver- 
mont, October 15, 1876. Samuel Edgar was 
born March 6. 1838. and is now a resident of 
Nebraska, where he is engaged in the sheep 
business; he previously lived in North Dakota 
where he still owns a farm and store. Clar- 
ence Greenman was born February 28, i860, 
in Hinesburg, \'i.. and is the general agent for 
the \'ermont Alarble Company, at Cleveland, 
Ohio; he has three sons and one daughter. 
William Stowell was born July 28, 1862, in 
Brattleboro, Vt., and is a professor in Ripon 
College in Wisconsin ; he has one son. Emily 
Reynolds died aged sixteen months, Novem- 



ber II, 1866. Philip Reynolds was born Feb- 
ruary 18, 1867. 

After the death of his first wife. Prof. Leav- 
enworth formed a second matrimonial alliance, 
this lime with.Pucv W'adsworth. of Minetto, 
Xew "Sork. Mrs. Pea\'enworth is a daughter 
of Marcus North ami Julia ( Burt ) W'adsworth, 
granddaughter of Thomas and Sarah (North) 
W'adsworth, of Farmington, Conn., great- 
granddaughter of William and Ruth (Hart) 
W'adsworth. Six generations of Wadsworths 
were born in Farmington, Comiecticut, in the 
same house. The faniilv was noted for men- 
tal and moral worth as well as for wealth. 
The first of the name to seek a home 
in America was one William A\'adsworth, 
who was born in England about 1600, 
and was one of the Hooker colony to emi- 
grate to Hartford, Connecticut. He was one 
of the founders of that city and stood high 
in his community. He held many positions of 
trust. His son, John Wadsworth, removed 
from Hartford to Farmington, Connecticut ; 
he married Sarah Stanley, of Hartford, in 
1662. He was one of the most wealthy and 
influential men of his day. He served in the 
State Senate of Connecticut and was on duty , 
there when his brother Joseph seized the char- 
ter and placed it in the Oak. His death oc- 
curred in I'armington in 1689. His son, Will- 
iam, was the next in line of descent. 

Mrs. Leavenworth's maternal ancestors, the 
Burt family, were founders of " Springfield. 
Massachusetts. Henry Burt emigrated from 
England in 1635 on the ship "James." He 
lived four years in Roxbury, Massachusetts, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



357 



and tlien removed to Agawam. now Spring- 
field. He was a prominent public man and 
was a very perfect type of a Puritan. In 
cases of emergency he conducted religious 
services. His death occurred April 30, 1662, 
at Springfield. His son, David, born in Eng- 
land, was the first white man in Northamp- 
ton. Benjamin Burt and his wife were taken 
prisoners at Deerfield, Massachusetts, and 
were among the ninety captives taken to 
Canada. Mrs. Leavenworth is the eldest 
of fi\e childern horn to her ])arcnts. The oth- 
ers are : Mary, who died at the age of nine- 
teen ; James Burt, who lives at the old home 
in Minetto, Osv>'ego county. New York ; Will- 
iam Moulton, also a resident of Minetto ; and 
Thomas Hart, of Gayville, South Dakota. 
Mrs. Leavenworth is a refined, cultured lady. 
She had an academic schooling and also fol- 
lowed teaching. She is a member of the so- 
ciety of D. A. R., also Colonial Dames of Ver- 
mont. 

Prof. Leavenworth has a most notable war 
record. May 24, 1862, he enlisted as a private 
in Company K, 9th Regiment, Vermont Vol. 
Inf., and served three years. He was rapidly 
promoted. July 9, he was made first sergeant, 
and November 17. of the same year, he be- 
came first lieutenant. December i, 1864, he 
received a captain's commission. He was ap- 
pointed jsrovost marshal at Richmond April 
5, 1865. He was mustered out June 13, 1865. 
He was taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry. 
He was appointed acting assistant inspector- 
general by General John A. Dix, June 10, 
1863, and was assigned to General Isaac J. 



Wistar's brigade. He acted as inspector-gen- 
eral of L'nited States troops at Yorktown, 
Gloucester, Fort Magruder and vicinity from 
July 29, 1863, to May 3, 1864. While acting 
in the .same capacity for the Second Division, 
Eighteenth Army Corps, in the battle of 
Drury's Bluff, he was the only officer on duty 
of Major-General Weitzel's staff. He led the 
skirmish line into Richmond April 3, 1865, 
assisted by Joel C. Baker, first lieutenant of 
Company K, and Burnham Cowdry, second 
lieutenant of Company D, as well as by 120 
men of the 9th Vermont Regiment. 

Prof. Leavenworth's life record possesses 
many notable and praiseworthy features. Suc- 
cess has crowned his efforts in almost every 
undertaking. His has been a true and noble 
life, worthy of emulation by the youth of to- 
day. 




^ ERDINAND GOSSELIN. This 
gentleman, of whose life we now propose 
to give a few salient facts interesting alike 
to his manv friends and neighbors in Rut- 
land, Vt., his present residence, and to many 
throughout Rutland county, is one of the 
solid and prosperous merchants of the city and 
deals in meats, provisions, and staple and 
fancv groceries. Mr. Gosselin was born De- 
cember 22. 1848, in Henryville, Province of 
Quebec, Canada. He is a son of John Gosse- 
lin, a prosperous Canadian farmer, who was 
born in the district below Montreal. The 
family originated in France, whence our sub- 
ject's grandfather emigrated to Canada. 



358 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



John Gosselin died November 26, 1874, at 
the age of sixty-five years : he was survived 
l)y his widow until the tliirtcentli day of Xo- 
veniber, 1886, when slie. too, passed to llie 
life beyond the grave, in her seventv-fifth 
year. Her remains now rest in St. Johns, 
Canada, while he sleeps in Farnham, Canada. 
This worthy couple were parents of nine chil- 
dren of whom eight grew to maturity, four 
sons and four daughters, and six are still 
among the li\ing. Those living are: John, 
who resides in Lockport, 111. ; Delima, wife of 
James Daharty, of Providence, R. 1.; Philo- 
mene, wife of Edmund Dupuis, of Henry ville, 
Canada, where Mrs. Dupuis was born ; Fer- 
dinand, suljject of this sketch: Edward, of 
Worcester, Mass. : and Josejdi, residing in 
Butte City, Alont. The deceased are: David, 
who died at the tender age of four years; 
Adeline, who died aged twenty-nine; and Car- 
oline (Mrs. Archamhault) who died in her 
twenty-fifth year, leaving four children. 

Ferdinand ranks seventh in the order of 



birth 



this interesting fami 



He liad the 



advantage of a good schooling in Canada, 
and at the age of seventeen years began learn- 
ing the carpenter's trade. After serving a 
three years' apprenticeship, he followed his 
chosen occupation for a period of fifteen years. 
In 1870 he left Canada and worked two years 
in St. Albans, Vermont, locating in 1872 in 
Rutland, where he worked most of the time 
in the shop, making sashes, doors, and blinds. 
In 1882, Mr. Gosselin di.scontinued working 
at his trade and entered into his present 1)usi- 
ness under the firm name of Gosselin & 



Poulin. being located on Center street. After 
nine years of prosperous trade, our subject 
purchased liis partner's interest in 1892, and 
has since conducted tlie business alone at 
.Xumber 2-j , Center street, where he has 
been located since November, 1890. He 
has acquireil an enviable reputation as 
an upright, conscientious and obliging 
merchant and enjoys the patronage of 
the l)est class of people in the city. 
December 29, 1873, our subject linked 
his fortunes witli those of \'ictoria (jeer (or 
Giguere), a native of Keyesville, X. V.. where 
she was born in 1853; she is a daughter of 
Joseph and Salina ( Desroches) Geer, highly 
respected and industrious people. Her father 
was partly of Scotch ancestry and was de- 
scended from the nobility. He was a black- 
smith bv occupation and conducted a shop 
of his own for many _\ears, removing later to 
Rutland, where he worked in the railroad 
shops. He was twice married, his first mar- 
riage resulting in the birth of seven children, 
two of whom are still living. His second 
union was prolific of ten children, seven of 
whom are numbered among the living, — four 
daughters and three sons. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin buried their eldest 
son, Arthur l^hilip. on the twenty-fourth day 
of March, 1895; he was nearly nineteen years 
old. He had been fatally injured by the cars 
when returning home from college. This 
was a terrible blow to his parents and family. 
Four children still bless their home, as fol- 
lows: Lena Elizabeth, who graduated from 
the Rutland High School in 1894 and is also 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



359 



a graduate in music, fiuishing in 1895, is an 
accomplished musician and teaches music, 
besides being her father's able assistant and 
bookkeeper. Helen Eugenia, who graduated 
from Rutland High School in 1896 and from 
the R. E. C. I. in 1897; Blanche Louise, a 
miss of fourteen years, attending high school 
in Rutland ; and George Adelor, who was born 
February i, 1889, and is a bright, manly little 
fellow. Surrounded by this interesting fam- 
ily at his beautiful home at Number 60, Elm 
street, where he settled in ]\Iarch, 1888, our 
subject enjoys life and has much to live for. 
He is a member of St. Jean Baptiste Society, 
of which he has been treasurer several years. 
In politics his influence and votes are cast in 
favor of Democracy. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Gosselin are valued members of the French 
Catholic church. 

Mr. Gosselin is well-known in mercantile 
circles as a substantial citizen, whose industry, 
strict integrity, pleasant manners, and hon- 
orable character entitle him to a high place 
in the esteem of the community. 




ON. ENOS C. FISH, member of the 
Vermont Legislature, and, for 
' twenty-two years, deputy sherifif 
of Rutland county, was born in the town of 
Ira, Rutland county, Vt., September 11, 1836. 
He is a son of Enos C. and Marcia (Chap- 
man) Fish, and a grandson of Preserved Fish. 
Preserved Fish was born on Massachusetts 
Bay, about the year 1775, of humble parents; 



when still quite young, he was bound out to 
his brother, Benjamin Fish. He was joined in 
marriage with a Miss Carpenter, whose twin 
brothers were soldiers ni the Revolutionary 
War. This worthy couple reared eleven 
children, ten sons and one daughter, all of 
whom grew to manhood and womanhood, and 
most of whom had families of their own. 
These children and their families are scattered 
over the L^nited States, from Maine to Cali- 
fornia. Several of the sons served in the War 
of 181 2, and distinguished themselves for 
bravery. 

Enos C. Fish, father of the subject hereof, 
was born in Rutland county, in 1812. He 
was united in marriage with Marcia Chapman, 
who was born in the town of Clarendon, Rut- 
land county, Vermont. This union resulted 
in the birth of seven children, five of whom 
grew to maturity. Their names are : Clar- 
issa (wife of Joseph S. Lincoln, of West Rut- 
land), who has a son and has lost a daughter; 
Enos C, the subject of this sketch; Filecia, 
wife of L. W. Fish, of Ira, Vt. ; Emily, widow 
of Rev. W. S. Blaisdell, who died in Florida, 
leaving three daughters; Henry C, a farmer 
in Ira; George D., wlio died in childhood; 
and Annette, who also died early in life. The 
beloved mother passed away in Ira, upon the 
same farm where Preserved Fish first set- 
tled, and where his death occurred. The 
father of these children also died upon the 
same farm, in 1890, aged about seventy-eight 
years. He held the various town offices and 
represented his town in the State Assembly. 

The ancestors of the subject hereof were all 



360 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Baptists, in which faith he was reared. He 
obtained tlic customary sclioolinj;- of a farm- 
er's Ijoy, and pursued the peaceful occu])atir)n 
of farmin;;- for nian_\- years: in fact, he still 
owns two tine farms. Jn 1S57. Enos C. Fish 
wedded Clarissa Peck, who bore him one 
child, Helen, wife of C. S. Harris, of .Missouri. 
Mrs. Fish laid down the burden of life, in 
1866, at the homestead farm. Two years 
later. Mr. Fish contracted a second matri- 
niiinial alliance. Frances Freeman, a daugh- 
ter of Frederick and \'iola (I'eck) Freeman, 
became his wife, and has jjroved herself a 
most amiable companion. 

In 1862, Mr. Fish was elected constable, 
wliich office he held until 1877, when he was 
made deputy sheriff. That was twentv-two 
years ago, when he left the farm, and settled 
in West Rutland. Soon after locating there, 
he built his tine residence on Clarendon a\'e- 
nuc, where he is most i)leasantly situated. 
His farms :ire situated in the town of West 
Rutland and the town of lr;i, whitdi derived 
its name from lr;i Allen, ;i brother of Fthan 
.\llen so famous in histor\-. 

Mr. {'"ish is a loser of line horses, and drives 
a ("lue te;un. Socially, he is a Knight Temjdar 
and a .M.isou of high degree, having passed all 
the cli;iirs from ihe blue lodge to the grand 
lodge, lie follows the leadership of the Re- 
p(d>lican ]iarty, and is a \erv inlluenti.al mem- 
ber of that organi/ation. bv which he was 
elected to the X'ermont Legiskiturc, in 1S98. 
Both Mr. and Mrs. h'isli are members of the 
Congregational church, of which Mr. Fish is 
now serving as committeeman. The life of 



the subject of this sketch has covered a wide 
range of exi)erience, and he has been directly 
or indirectly connected with prominent men 
and otVices in m:niy s])heres of acti\ity. On 
all (juestions of local moment, he is well in- 
formed, and has ])roved himself a good coun- 
selor on more than one occasion in town 
meetings when important subjects came up 
for consideration and discussion. In every- 
thing that tends to promote the material ad- 
\-anccment and i)rosperity of West Rutland, 
he is sure to be deeply interested, as he has 
the welfare of the communitv at heart. 



§OHX METCALF, of Fair Haven. Rut- 
land county, Vermont, has been since 
1882 proprietor and pulilisher of the 
"Fair Haven Era." The Era was established in 
1879, b\' Heiu'v E. Inman, and has grown to 
be a widely circulated and influential journal. 

He was born in England, in 1857. He was 
tiie second child of Walter and Harriet (Hun- 
ton) Metcalf. When he was four or five 
months old, his parents came to this countr\-, 
and ha\e made their home in Poultney, \'t., 
since 1867. Of the eleven children born to 
them eight reached manhood and woman- 
hood. They are: Elizabeth ; John ; Thomas ; 
Harriet: Walter: Charles: Susan, and Robert. 

lohn .Metcalf was educated in the public 
schools and at .St. John's .Vcademy. in Poult- 
ney. lie was married, in 1886, to M. E. 
Spencer, daughter of Rev. Dwight and Mar- 
tha (Hovey) Spencer. They have three chil- 
dren, Madeline, Marjorie, and Flarold. 




ISAAC L. HlLl 




MRS. JULIA B. HILL. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



365 



In politics, Mr. Metcalf is a Republican, 
and has always been a firm supporter of Re- 
publican principles. 



fSAAC L. HILL, a prominent grist mil- 
ler, manufacturer and farmer, of the town 
of Mount Holly, Mechanicsville P. O., 
was born in the town of Mount Holly in 1840. 
He is a son of Abraham and Lucy (Cole) 
Hill. A liberal education was obtained in the 
public schools which fitted him for the profes- 
sion of teaching. This occupation he fol- 
lowed successfully in his native town until he 
enlisted for service in the Union army, dur- 
ing the Civil War. 

Abraham Hill, father of our subject, was 
born at Braintree, Vermont, and received his 
education in the public schools there. At the 
age of twenty-one years, he located in the 
town of Mount Holly, Rutland county, and 
followed farm work for different people. He 
then bought a small farm, followed farming 
and dairying, and later on took up the butch- 
er business, selling meats to people in the 
surrounding country. He was united in mar- 
riage with Lucy Cole, a native of Mount Hol- 
ly, Vermont. Six children were born to them 
and named as follows: Miranda (Flanders); 
Isaac L., the subject of these lines; Elizabeth; 
Mary (Tobin) ; David, a man of extraordinary 
height, who was a soldier in the Civil War and 
died in a hospital in 1864: and Bradley, who 
died in infancy. Abraham Hill was a Bap- 
tist in his religious belief, and a Republican 
in his political convictions. 



When it became evident that a great con- 
flict would inevitably take place between the 
North and the South, Mr. Hill enlisted as a 
private in Company I, 5th Regiment, Ver- 
mont Vol. Inf. His company was sent to St. 
.Albans, and then with its regiment to Vir- 
ginia, where it formed a part of that famous 
army division known in the history of the Re- 
bellion as the Army of the Potomac. At 
the battle of Savage Station, his regiment was 
almost annihilated. His company entered 
this engagement with sixty-four and returned 
with only sixteen men. Company E, of the 
same regiment, went in with sixtv-six 
and came out with six men. In this disastrous 
struggle, our subject was wounded, but his 
courage was undaunted. He afterwards fought 
at Harrison's Landing, Yorktown, Williams- 
burg, JVIalvern Hill, the Wilderness, and was 
engaged in numerous skirmishes and minor 
engagements. In the course of these battles, 
he was badly wounded and afterwards dis- 
charged. .\fter being cured and fullv restored 
to his health, he re-enlisted in 7th Regiment, 
\'ermont \'ol. Inf. He saw a great deal of 
hard fighting, but, as he expected it, he there- 
fore bore it like a philosopher. 

After returning from the war Mr. Idill 
worked eleven years for P. E. Chase and ran 
one of the departments of the saw-mill, work- 
ing at various machines, and when the mill 
was removed to Rutland, he bought a farm 
and followed agricultural pursuits. He added 
to his farm from time to time until he had one 
of the finest farms in Mount Holly. In ad- 
dition to farming he ran a butcher's cart until 



366 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



1891. Stock raising and dairying also be- 
came a part of his business. He raised consid- 
eralile stock on his farm, all of which he sold 
from his wagon. His dairying Ijusiness was 
a feature of considerable note : he kept the best 
grade of milch cows, ha\'ing from thirty-five to 
fifty-five head of cattle on his farm ; the butter 
and cheese he shipped south and to* local mar- 
kets. 

Mr. Hill still conducts the farm but in 1891 
located in the \illage of Mechanicsville, where 
he made some very sid)stantial investments. 
He bouglit his residence property, saw-mill, 
and grist mill, adjoining, and started a store 
for the benefit of his employees. He has a 
very complete line of machinery in both mills, 
and is prepared to turn out large quantities of 
work ; in his grist-mill he grinds feed, and has 
a capacitv of seventv-five bushels of coarse 
feed per hour. His saw-mill gives employ- 
ment to five men in the busy season. In con- 
nection with the saw-mill, he runs a hay-baling 
outfit. 

Our subject was united in marriage with 
Julia I')enson, \\ho was born and educated in 
the town of Mount Holly, \'ermont. Ten chil- 
dren have been born to bless the home of our 
subject and his estimable wife. They are : 
Sydney, who conducts a meat market at Lud- 
low; Herbert, who is engaged in the same 
line of business in Mechanicsville; George, 
w hij ablv assists his brother Sydney; Harry; 
1 k-rniau : llattie (Bruce) Xcttie ; Lena; 
Kate ; ami Lottie. 

Mr. Hill is a genial man, popular with 
everybody, acti\-e and ijublic-spirited in bring- 



ing about events of such character as advance 
the interests of his fellowmen. He is a Re- 
publican, and has served his party in various 
offices, as lister, member of the school board, 
and sujierintendent of schools. He is a sup- 
porter of the AL E. church, and a member of 
Colfax Lodge, No. 21. 1. O. (). F. He has 
filled various positions in the lodge, and has 
served as treasurer. 

Recent portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hill are 
shown in connection with this sketch, being 
presented on a preceding page. 



-r-^ LMER DUAXE KEYES, deceased. 

pi The distinguished gentleman, who 

is the sul)ject of this sketch, was in 
everv respect a self-made man. and was a 
typical exemplification of the thrift and in- 
tegrity of New England. From the humble 
position he occupied at the outset of his ac- 
tive career, as a man without means, his busi- 
ness ability and personal integrity raised liim 
to be the head of the largest wholesale gro- 
cery business in the state of Vermont. As a 
business man he occupied a unique position. 
His untiring energy and ceaseless industry 
were ever fruitful of the best results and he 
conmianded to an unusual extent the respect 
and confidence of all who were in any way 
associated with him. In his home life he was 
a thoughtful and loving husband and parent, 
and a most genial entertainer of the many 
he delighted to call his friends. 

Mr. Keyes was born in South Reading, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



367 



Vermont, July 15, 1838, and was a son of 
Marvin and Lucinda (Fullam) Robinson. His 
mother dying when he was quite young, he 
was adopted by an aunt, wlio married \\'ash- 
ington Keyes ; in tlie course of time, Ehner 
assumed the name of Keyes which ckuig to 
him ever afterward. He worked on the farm 
with his foster-father, who was a well-to-do 
farmer, until he reached his majority, having 
in the meantime received a good education. 
He began teaching when only eighteen years 
of age, and taught school five winters, spend- 
ing the corresponding summers in work upon 
the farm. 

Early in the Civil War, Mr. Keyes enlisted 
in the Union army as a lieutenant in Company 
H, of Colonel Wheelock G. Veazey's regi- 
ment, the 1 6th Vermont Volunteers. On 
December 31, 1862, he was promoted to the 
captaincy of his company and occupied that 
position until the end of his term of enlist- 
ment. The 1 6th Vermont Regiment had a 
very prominent part in the battle of Gettys- 
burg. After leaving the army, our subject en- 
gaged in business in Felchville, Vermont, 
where he remained until September, 1870, 
when he removed to Rutland. On October i, 
1870, he bought the retail grocery business of 
S. F. Paige, and took into partnership N. R. 
Bardy, who had Ijeen head clerk in Mr. 
Paige's store, which partnership continued 
until June i, 1883, when Mr. Bardy retired. 
The business had assumed very large propor- 
tions during these years, and an extensive 
wholesale branch had been established. 

Upon the retirement of Mr. Bardy, Mr. 



Keyes took into the business C. O. Perkins, 
then a traveling representative of the firm, 
and in June, 1885, Erwin E. Keyes, the eld- 
est son of our subject, was admitted to the 
partnership. The business during all those 
years was conducted in the large brick build- 
ing on Evelyn street. Soon after locating in 
Rutland, Mr. Keyes purchased one-half of 
the l)lock and a few years later secured the 
remainder of the building. He gradually with- 
drew from the active management of the Rut- 
land business soon after his son entered the 
firm, and for a few years prior to his death 
devoted his time largely to his real estate 
and other financial interests in the West. Mr. 
Keyes never sought office, but served on the 
staff of Governor Washburn. At the time 
of his death he was a director of the Baxter 
National Bank, the Howe Scale Company, 
and the Peoples' Gas Company, all of Rut- 
land, Vt. ; vice-president of the Bank of Volga, 
South Dakota ; vice-president of the Equit- 
able Loan & Trust Company; and a director 
in several financial institutions in various parts 
of the West. 

Mr. Keyes was a suft'erer from chronic 
bronchitis and asthmatic troubles for nearly 
fifteen years before his death, and during the 
last five years of his life suffered from several 
attacks. During a six weeks' business trip 
through the West, he drove for thirty-four 
miles over a South Dakota prairie and con- 
tracted a cold, from the ef!'ects of which he 
never recovered. His chronic ailments de- 
veloped into emphysema, which caused his 
death on the fourth day of December, 1893, 



368 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



at the a^e of fifty-five years. He was a Mason 

and a faithful comnuniicant of Trinit}' Episco- 
pal church. 

In speaking of Mr. Keyes' death, Mr. Bar- 
ely, his former partner, paid the following 
warm trilnUe to his personal character and 
business ability : "Mr. Keyes was a man of the 
most thorough and painstaking instincts. His 
word was regarded as the e<iui\-alent of his 
name, and he never engaged in any undertak- 
ing without entering into careful and thought- 
ful examination of its minutest details, and 
the outgrowth of our business under his direc- 
tion was phenomenal. Mr. Keyes was 
proni])t and acti\-e in his business life, never 
wasting words when time was more valuable 
than speech, but at home or in society he 
was ever genial." 

As stated previously in this sketch, Mr. 
Keyes was a son of Marvin Robinson. He 
was a grandson of Ebenezer Robinson, great- 
grandson of James Robinson, great-great- 
grandson of Jonathan Robinson; and great- 
great-great-grandson of William Robinson. 

William Robinson was born about 1640, 
and probably resided in Bristol, England, I)e- 
fore coming to this country. He settled in 
Watertown, Massachusetts, on his arri\al in 
.America, but in the old records he was some- 
times styled "of Cambridge," and sometimes 
"of Watertown," Massachusetts. About 
1668, he married Elizabeth Cutler, born in 
Cambridge, Mass., July 15, 1645, 'i daughter 
of Richard Cutler, of Cambridge, T^Iass., by 
liis first wife, Elizabeth Williams, who was a 
daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Stalham) 



Williams, and was born in England. Robert 
Williams was born in Englantl, so the record 
of \\'illiam Williams, of Hatfield, England, 
states. Tlie embarkation record reads : "April 
8, 1637, Robert Williams, Cordwyner (cord- 
wyner was a shoemaker), of Norwich, County 
Xorfolk, England, in the "John and Dor- 
othy," of Ipswich, \\'illiam Andrews, master. 
For New England to inhabit." The Elistory 
of Cambridge, b\ Lucius R. Page, gives the 
names of the children of William and Eliz- 
abeth Robinson, as follows : Elizabeth ; Han- 
nah, born in Concord, Mass., July 3, 1671, 
and died there October 5, 1672; William, 
born July 10, 1673; Mercy, born August 7, 
1676; David, l.)orn May 23, 1678 ("lame and 
helpless" in 1695); Samuel, born April 20, 
1680; and Jonathan, born April 20, 1682, the 
great-great-grandfather of Air. Keyes. Wil- 
liam Robinson executed a will March 27, 
1693, which was presented for probate June 
26, 1693, but was disallowed on account of its 
informality, at which date all the children, 
except Hannah, were li\ing. 

Jonathan Robinson, the great-great-grand- 
father of Mr. Keyes, was born in Cambridge, 
Mass., .April 20, 1682. He purcliaseil a farni, 
in 1706, near where later occurred the battle 
of Lexington. From a deed in the possession 
of the family, it appears that Isaac Powers, 
of Cambridge, Mass., sold this land, which 
was bounded on the east by land of Joanna 
Winshii); on the west, by land of the heirs 
of Samuel Winship ; on the north, by the Con- 
cord road ; and on the south, by the land 
of John Dickinson. This and other deeds to 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



869 



Jonathan Robinson of land, bounded by the 
properties of the ^\'inships, Wliitmores and 
Bowmans, leaves no doubt but that he re- 
sided on or \ery near the place now occupied 
by Jonas Gammell, at the termination of Oak 
street, the house now burned. Jonathan Rob- 
inson was by trade a weaver. He tilleil the 
honorable office of "tything-nian" in 1735, 
and in 1744 was on a committee to dignify 
and seat the meeting-house. The children 
of Jonathan and Ruth Robinson were as fol- 
lows: Jonathan, born July 25, 1707; Ruth, 
burn June 29, 1709, and died October 23, 
J722; Abigail, born February 4, 171 1, the 
wife of Nathaniel Bacon, of Lexington, Mass. ; 
James, the great-grandfather of Mr. Keyes ; 
Lydia, born August 29, i7r8,\vho married 
Caleb Simonds ; and Hannah, born January 8, 
1721. Jonathan Robinson died in 1753, and 
his wife died April 25, 1759. His will, dated 
February 2, 1754, was proved February 8, 

1754- 

James Robinson, the great-grandfather of 

Mr. Keyes, was born August 30, 1715, on his 
father's farm in the town of Cambridge, Mass- 
achusetts. On May 23, 1751, he married 
Elizabeth Frash, who died soon after. His 
secontl wife. Margaret, who died November 
5, 1769, bore him eight children, as follows: 
Ruth, born January 28, 1753; Joseph, born 
March 18, 1755, and married Mrs. Betty Had- 
ley; Silas, born February 20, 1757; Asa, born 
January 19, 1759, was in the Long Island 
campaign of the Revolutionary War, 1776; 
James, born November 26, 1760, married. 
May 25, 1787, Judith Reed, of Woburn, 



Mass., — he was a soldier in the Continental 
army; Rhoda, born May 10, 1763, died 
young; Ebenezer, our sul)ject's grandfather; 
and Parsis, born January 25, 1767, and died 
February i, 1767. By his third wife, Eliza- 
beth, James Robinson had three children, 
namely: Jonas, born May 18, 1770, died 
December i, 1773; Rhoda, born October 20, 
1771, married Simeon Snow, Alay 24, 1791 ; 
and Lydia, born January 2, 1772, and died 
January 5, 1772. James Robinson was ad- 
mitted to the church March 10, 1765. He 
died August 12, 1774. 

Ebenezer Robinson, grandfather of Mr. 
Keyes, was born on the Cambridge farm 
Februarv 14, 1765. \\'hen only sixteen years 
of age, he entered the colonial service in the 
struggle against England for independence. 
He served on an American ship, was taken 
prisoner, confined on the old British prison- 
ship, "Jersey," was released, and afterwards 
served in the army again (see History of Read- 
ing Centennial). He moved to the town of 
Reading, Windsor county, Vermont, in 1788, 
cleared away the forests in South Reading, 
and made himself a farm. He married Han- 
nah Achley, November 18, 1792, and they 
passed a long and peaceful life on this farm; 
his death occurred October 31, 1857, at the 
age of ninety-two years and eight months. 
His wife was born in 1771, and died Febru- 
ary 8, 1857, aged eighty-six years and two 
months. Their children were as follows: 
Lewis, born August 19, 1793, died Novem- 
ber 16, 1871 ; Marvin, our subject's father, 
who was born March 24, 1800, and died 



370 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



December 22, 1866; Rhoda, born February 
8, 1790, and died October 21, 1873; Hannah, 
born Jvme 20, 1805, died April 19, 1873; Ebe- 
nezer, Jr., l)orn Decenil)cr 30, 1808, died July 
5, 1848; Eliza, born May 20, 1807. died De- 
cember 13, i860; Cabin, born January 13, 
1798, died March 28, 1819; and Sally T., born 
September 19, 1802, and died October 6, 
1816. All of the family were born in South 
Reading, Vermont. 

Marvin Robinson, father of Mr. Keyes, 
was married to Lucinda Fullam on October 
II, 1826, and by her he had seven children, 
namely : Franklin Marvin, born August 2, 
1828, died March 25, 1885; Edwin Aurelius, 
born October 18, 1829, died November 8, 
1892; Charles Henry, born July 18, 1831 ; 
Wallace Fullam, born December 22, 1832; 
Forest Alonzo, bom May 29, 1835, died 
March 19, 1836, aged ten months; Maria 
Frances, born January 2, 1837; and Elmer 
Duane, the subject of this biography. All the 
above-mentioned children were born in South 
Reading, \'ermont. Franklin Marvin grad- 
uated from Dartmouth College, and settled in 
Dubuque, Iowa, where he became a promi- 
nent lawyer and highly respected and wealthy 
citizen. Edwin Aurelius, Charles Henry and 
Wallace Fullam were associated for many 
years in a large provision business in Boston, 
Mass., under the firm name of W. F. Robin- 
son & Company. Wallace Fullam Robinson 
is now president of the Boston Chamber 
of Commerce. Maria Frances, of Cam- 
bridge, Mass., is the widow of J. O. Whitten, 
who was a prominent citizen of that place. 



Lucinda (Fullam) Robinson, first wife of Mar- 
vin Robinson, was born September 13, 1797, 
and died November 25, 1839, aged forty-two 
years and two months. On September 22, 
1840, Mr. Robinson married his second wife, 
Charlotte \\'ood, who was born May 2, 1816, 
at Hartland, \'ermont, and was a daughter of 
Jonathan and Betsey W^ood. She died April 
14, 1889, aged seventy-four yeafs. Their 
children numbered three, and were all born 
in South Reading, Vt. ; the record is as fol- 
lows: Elroy Clement, born January 30, 1844, 
died October 28, 1885, aged forty-one years; 
Delia Ada, born January 24, 1847, died Oc- 
tober 29, 1 85 1, aged four years and nine 
months; and Addie Lestina, born November 
7, 1852, and died August 9, 1873, aged 
twenty years and nine months. Marvin Rob- 
inson died December 22, 1866, aged sixty- 
six years, eight months and twenty-eiglit days. 
He spent his life principally, if not wholly, 
in South Reading, and there kept a tannery 
and devoted much time to farming. 

Elmer Duane Keyes was united in mar- 
riage with Lorette C. Hawkins, September 
14, 1862, and three sons were born to them, 
one of whom died in infancy. Erwin Elmer 
succeeded to his father's business in Rutland ; 
and Arthur Hawkins resides at home, having 
left .\mherst College, upon the death of his 
father. Mrs. Keyes is a daughter of Ferdi- 
nand and Charlotte (Amsden) Hawkins; her 
father and mother were both born in Reading, 
Vt., where their marriage occurred January 
I, 1834. Her mother is a daughter of Abel 
Amsden, wlui served in the American Revo- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



371 



lution under three enlistments, each time re- 
ceiving an honorable discharge at the expira- 
tion of his term of service, thus making her 
a real daughter of the American Revolution. 




j-5) ^EORGE H. CHURCHILL, a 

_ f- prominent dairy farmer and lumber- 
man of the town of Brandon, Rutland 
county, Vermont, was born December 2j, 
1852, in the town of Brandon on the farm 
which is still his home, his birth occurring in 
the old house, located across the road from 
his present residence. He is a son of Nathan 
and Nancy (Lyon) Churchill and grandson 
of Caleb and Sarah (Hawley) Churchill. 

Caleb Churchill was born in Plympton, 
Mass., April 4, 1757. When twenty- 
five years old he moved to Chittenden, 
Vermont, being one of the first three 
settlers to locate there. The place was 
then known as Philadelphia. Caleb Church- 
ill married Sarah Hawley, of New 
Railford, Massachusetts. After marriage 
they settled in their new home in the woods 
and in time cleared a good hill farm. They 
settled on the hills to avoid the floods and 
malaria so prevalent among the lower lands, 
which, however, had somewhat richer soil. 
Eleven children were born to them, five of 
whom were sons, and six, daughters, as fol- 
lows: Betsey, John, Leah, Caleb, Sarah, 
Zacheus H., Nathan H., Azem, Joanna, Maria, 
and Sylvia. Betsey was born iVpril 24, 1789, 
married x\nson Manley, and reared a small 



family. John, born December 12, 1790, mar- 
ried Lois Latham, and reared six children. 
Leah was born December 9, 1792. Caleb was 
born December 15, 1794. Sarah was born 
March 10, 1797. Zacheus H. was born March 
29, 1799. Azem was born November 13, 1805. 
Joanna was born March 26, 1808, and died 
at the early age of six years. Maria was born 
May 29, 1810. Sylvia was born August i, 
18 14. All married and had families of their 
own except the one who died young. It is 
a fact worthy of note that ten of these chil- 
dren lived to attain the advanced age of sev- 
enty-nine or eighty years. But their age did 
not equal that of their father, who died at the 
age of ninety-nine years, five months, and 
eleven days. His wife died December 12, 
1842, and both sleep the sleep of the just in 
the Chittenden cemetery. Caleb Churchill 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, serv- 
ing two terms of three months each. 

Nathan H. Churchill was born in Philadel- 
phia, or Chittenden, Vermont, June 11, 1803. 
He was twice married. His first marriage, with 
Dorothy Sheldon, which took place October 
4, 1825, resulted in the birth of six children. 
One of their sons, John Anson, is a promi- 
nent resident of Council Bluffs, Iowa, where 
he located in early manhood. He was one 
of the pioneers to Pike's Peak and assisted 
in laying out the city of Denver, Colorado. 
After the death of his first wife, in 1838, Na- 
than H. Churchill was joined in marriage 
with Nancy Lyon, a daughter of John and 
Polly (Carey) Lyon, of Brandon. This joy- 
ous event was celebrated March 10, 1839. 



372 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



They began domestic life in the old house 
across the road from wliat is now the home 
of our subject. The house was then but a few- 
years old, and was situated on a tract of land 
purchased by Nathan 11. Churchill, contain- 
ing about "o acres. He made several addi- 
tions to his original purchase, until he owned 
200 acres of land, which is the size of the 
farm at the i)resent day. This union resulted 
in the birth of si.x children, as follows: Dor- 
othy C, born May 27, 1840, and died at the 
age of five years; Nathan W'., Ijorn December 
9, 1842, and died July 5, 1886, leaving a wife 
and two sons; Jane L., born March 15, 1844, 
who married Horace Smith, and died June 30, 
1887, in California, leaving five sons; Royal 
M., born October i-j, 1846, and died May 24, 
1880; Riley \'., born May 13, 1851, who is 
a farmer in Neola, Iowa, and has fi)ur sons 
and one daughter, living; and ( ieorge H., the 
subject of these lines. 

Subject's father began without means but 
was of a specnlatix e turn of mind. He bought 
and sold lands and in that way became ]30S- 
sessed of means. At his death. Januarv 12, 
1884, he left a good estate. His first farm was 
in Chittenden. Selling out, he went to the 
fine spring of the home of our subject, and 
])urchased lands there. This spring is now 
well known as the Churchill Sand Spring, and 
liad e\en gained a famous reputation before 
the drought of 1899, when it continued to run 
three gallons per minute while many other 
springs and streams went dr\-. .After purchas- 
ing this spring farm, he erected a distillery 
to make wintergreen oil. He hired French 



residents of the section to pick the winter- 
green, and by this industry added very mate- 
rially to his wealth. 

On his mother's side, Mr. Chui'cliill is de- 
scended from William I.yon, whose name is 
registered in the Roads Otifice, London, Eng- 
land. He was born in i6ji. and in 1635, when 
a lad of fovu-teen years, came to this country 
in the ship "Hopewell." He settled in Rox- 
bury, and afterwards married Sarah Ruggles. 
His son, John, was born in Ro.xbury, Mass., 
April 10, 1647, and he, in turn, was the father 
of William Lyon, who was born in Roxbury, 
Mass., September 15, i'')75. Captain Jabez 
Lyon, son of the last named William Lyon, 
was born March 7, 1704, and died May 30, 
17O0. I lis wife, L'rania, was born in 1709, 
and died in 1797. Thev had a family consist- 
ing of four daughters and three sons, the lat- 
ter being named as follows: John, born in 
1730, and dietl in infancv; .'^te])hen. liorn in 
1739, and died in 1795 ; and Asa, born in 1744, 
and died in 1785. 

Our subject's mcithcr, Xancy (Lyon) 
Churchill, was born December 9, 1819. She 
is a daughter of John and Polly Lyon and 
granddaughter of Jabez and Mehitable Lyon. 
Her grandparents were the parents of the fol- 
lowing ten children : John, born February 
14, 1779; Hannah, born July 20, 1780; ]\Ie- 
hitable, born December 17. 1781; Matilda, 
born July 13, 1784; Polly, born Februar\- 9, 
1787; Olive, born April 12. 1789; Ezbon E., 
born May 8, 1791 ; Nancy, born January 20, 
1794; Lucy, born November 25, 1796; and 
Luman, born January i, 1799. 




AL\ERTON G. JONES. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



375 



The mother of George H. ChurchiH was 
the sixth of the twelve children born to her 
parents. Their names and dates of birth are 
as follows: Diadama, born May 22, 181 1; 
Judith, born July 28, 1812; Lucinda, born 
March 31, 181 4; Abigail, born January 21, 
1816; Mary, born January 20, 1818; Nancy, 
subject's mother; an infant daughter who 
died unnamed; Jabez, born October 12, 1823; 
Jane Ann, born December 30, 1825; John, 
born February 9, 1828; Silence M.,'born June 
21, 1830; and Aaron, born March 2-j, 1833. 

George H. Churchill obtained his education 
in the district sciiools, and has continued to 
remain on the farm, but has been interested 
in various enterprises. October 4, 1876, he 
married Mary Jane Sargent, a daughter of 
Dr. A. J. and Ruth (Edmunds) Sargent, of 
Chittenden, Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Church- 
ill have lost one daughter, Ruth, who died in 
infancy. They still have three sons, namely, 
Fred W., born in 1877; Leo R., born in 1881 ; 
and Andrew Hawley, born in 1891. 

Mr. Churchill is a Knight Templar. His 
political views coincide with those of the 
Republicans, and he has been a faithful public 
servant. He served six years as selectman ; 
six years as lister ; six years as a school direc- 
tor ; and as highway surveyor, eight years. He 
assisted materially in securing the excellent 
roads in his section. Our subject has a saw 
mill situated on his farm, and propelled by 
water power. It is built upon the same loca- 
tion formerly occupied by the old sash mill 
of his father. 

Mr. Churchill has lately improved and en- 




larged this mill and saws a great deal of lum- 
ber. He carries on general farming and also 
keeps a small dairy. In 1899 he also built a 
silo. He has lived to realize the success of all 
his undertakings which is but the natural 
result of his own well-directed efforts and 
industry. 



LVERTON G. JONES. One of the 
leading business men of the town of 
Sudbury, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, is the gentleman whose name forms 
the caption of this sketch, and whose portrait 
appears on a preceding page. He operates a 
large creamery and store there, and has a 
fine stock farm. 

He was born in Shoreham, Addison county, 
Vt., June 6, 1859. His father, Alverton J. 
Jones, was born in the same neighborhood, in 
the year 1830. His grandfather was Jason 
Jones, of Cornwall, Vermont. The family 
have been Vermonters for several generations. 
Its pioneer representative in America came 
from England, but the remoter ancestry or- 
iginated in Wales. The early settlers of the 
Jones family in Vermont were intelligent and 
substantial farmers. 

Grandfather Jones married Lydia Hurlbut, 
of Cornwall, Vt., and the issue of their union 
was five sons and two daughters, of whom 
the father of the subject of this personal his- 
tory was the eldest. Alverton J. Jones has 
two brothers living, Edwin E. and Henry C, 
both farmers in Cornwall. Jason Jones died 
about the year 1887, at the age of eighty-six 



376 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



years, and his widow passed away in 1893, 
when eigfhty-seven years old. They are buried 

at West Cornwall, \'erniiint. 

The mother of Alverton G. Jones, Ellen C. 
(Griswokl) Jones, was born August 2. 1833. 
and was a daughter of George W. and Mary 
(Gale) Griswold, of Cornwall. Vermont. The 
Griswold family were tillers of the soil. The 
gramlniother of I'lllen C. (Grjswold) Jones 
was Clarissa (Sargent) (jale. wife of Ira Gale, 
of Cornwall, who reared a large famih' of 
bright children. She died at ninety-two years 
of age. George \\'. Griswold passed away at 
the age of eighty-four _\ears, and his faithful 
consort, Mary, followed him when eighty-six 
years old. The subject of this narrative is 
thus descended from an ancestral line whose 
longevity is remarkable. The nuptials of Al- 
verton J. Jones with Ellen C. Griswold oc- 
curred in March, 1855. Four children were 
born to them : Alverton G.. to whom this 
sketch pertains; George -\., who died at the 
age of two years; Frederick Rockwell, now a 
barber in Washington, U. C. ; and Clayton W., 
who was in the employ of his brother, Alver- 
ton G., until recently, when he became a part- 
ner in the business. He is married and has 
one child, a charming little daughter. Alver- 
ton J. Jones died in 1870, and bis \\ife. after 
remaining a widow about fifteen years, mar- 
ried L. W. Jrlall. Her death occurred May 
17, 1899, at the age of sixty-four years. 

The subject of this sketch had a limited 
schooling, his mother l)cing left alone, with 
four small children with limited means of 
sustenance and a condition of health far from 



encouraging. It was but natural, therefore, 
that Aherton G. Jones JDrematurely began the 
struggle of life, m-ged on by the si)ur of ne- 
cessity. \\ hen tliirtecn \e,irs old he com- 
menced to work, and obtained but three 
months of schooling feach winter until he 
reached the age of eigliteen. When twenty 
years old he became a t:lerk for his uncle. C. 
i R. Griswold. The latter died ami left the 
business in the hands of his ne])bew. Aherton 
(j., who closed it up and returned to Corn- 
wall. 

In 1880 Mr. Jones moved to Brandon, Vt., 
and was employed in clerking and handling 
produce. He has been engaged in trade since 
1881. For three years he was occuj)ied in 
shi])])ing produce at Corn\\;iII. In 1SS3 I\lr. 
Jones built his first creamery, which he con- 
ducted until it was destroyed by fire. He 
started his present creamery in April. 1886. 
and moved his family to Sudbury in 1888 and 
opened his store in the spring of 1889. He 
is one of the busiest men in Sudbury. 

This creamery is one of the l)est in \^er- 
mont, having the patronage of numerous 
dairies, some of which are \ery large. It 
makes from one thousand to twelve hundred 
jiounds of choice butter dailv, which brings 
the highest ])rice in the leading mru-kets of 
this region. 

Mr. Jones has already built up a fine busi- 
ness in general merchandising, and his farm 
of 140 acres produces some choice cattle and 
horses. He keeps about fifteen horses for 
business and breeding ])ur])oses, in which 
latter line he has taken pains to raise a select 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



377 



Stock of blooded horses. The subject of this 
sketch is a Republican in politics, and has, 
for the mcTst part, avoided office. 

Though }'et young- in years, 2\Ir. Jones is 
well known as a hustler in trade and a success- 
ful business man. Happily, moreover, the 
wear and tear of about twenty-five years, un- 
remitting toil, have not left their heavy im- 
press upon him as they would have done on 
many other men. 

While not a member of any religious de- 
nomination, he is a supporter of the Congre- 
gational church. December 24, 1883. Alver- 
ton G. Jones married Ada L. Shattuck, of 
West Windsor, Vt., a daughter of Cornelius 
and Clarinda (Miller) Shattuck, representa- 
tive farmers of that place. 



-OHN EMORY BUXTON, a progres- 
sive farmer and real estate speculator, 
resides at Middletown Springs, Ver- 
mont, which is his native place. Mr. Buxton 
has led a somewhat varied and interesting 
career and at the present time farms only for 
pleasure. 

He was born October 20, 1839. He was 
educated in his native village and in Fairfax, 
Vermont. After leaving school, Mr. Buxton 
followed teaching for several winters, con- 
ducting affairs on the homestead farm during 
the summers. The farm was then his prop- 
erty. In 1867, he sold out to his brother 
Edwin, and, leaving his family for a time, 
went to Iowa. He engaged in the hardware 
l)usiness in Moingona, Iowa, where he was 



joined by his family in the spring of 1868. The 
following year Mr. Buxton accepted a posi- 
tion with the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- 
way Company as purchasing agent of coal, 
wood, and railroad ties for the Iowa division. 
He held that position until 1881. The last 
se\'en years of this time he resided in Boone, 
Iowa, and from there he removed to Oska- 
loosa, Iowa, at which time he took charge of 
the extensi\-e coal mines at Muchakinock, 
Iowa, for the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- 
way Conii)any. This was a most responsible as 
well as a most dangerous position, which a 
less courageous m?.ii would not have cared 
to hold. It was especially dangerous during 
strikes ; at one time the union miners were 
camped about the mine and threatened war 
upon Mr. Buxton's miners who were non- 
union men. But our subject was firm and 
undaunted. A carload of rifles was ordered 
by telegraph from Chicago and were promptly 
sent. Although the union miners could not 
understand the sheriff, when he read the riot 
act to them, as they approached the 
guards, composed of Mr. Buxton's men 
with rifles, they understood the lan- 
guage of bayonets and cold lead and 
retreated. That was the nearest Mr. Bux- 
ton ever came to ha\ing any strike 
in his mine. Id is men were always 
ready to shoulder the rifle to protect the 
mines. During the sixteen years of his min- 
ing business, his family returned to \'ermont 
to spend their summers at the old home. 

In 1897, Mr. Buxton concluded to not die 
with the harness on, and resigned his lucra- 



378 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tive but wearing situation, while he was yet 
strong and lieaUhy. He returned to the de- 
hsihtful old home and farm, which lie had re- 
purchased some years previously. This farm 
contains more than 300 acres and was first 
settled by his father in 1825. In 1832, the 
brick house was built, the brick being made 
on the premises. The farm is n(nv one of the 
finest and best in the vicinity. It is kept in a 
high state of cultivation and contains a most 
beautiful landscape of bottom flats and un- 
dulating hill lands. The original residence 
has been enlarged and modernized by Our sub- 
ject who also built the large new commodious 
barn. 40 ft. wide by 180 ft. long. The red barn 
on the hillside which did service in former 
years is an old landmark. It is utilized for 
storing much ot the hay raised on the farm 
each year. 

.Mr. P>uxt<)n, himself, is now enjoying the 
fruits I if bis industry, but keeps good and 
trusty men, who do all the manual labor. He 
believes he has a competency but thinks too 
nuich monev a cumbersome load of canker- 
ing care. His investments arc largely in real 
estate in Rutland county. Imt he has five sec- 
tions of farming land under cultivation in 
Nebraska. He recently purchased a valuable 
business block in Rutland. Few men are so 
well preserved in body and mind, who have 
passed through so many years of heavy care 
and responsibility. He continues to rise early, 
eat jilain food, and is prompt in all things, 
even to his meals. During his mining life, 
he was subjected to discipline as rigid as that 
required by military regulations. 



John Emory Buxton is a son of Luther and 
Samantha (Paris) Buxton, grandson of Tim- 
othy and Elizabeth (Calvin) Buxton, and 
great-grandson of John and Betsey ( Kelley) 
Buxton. John Buxton, who was a native of 
Rhode Island, mo\ed from there to Danby, 
Vermont, in 1790. He was a soldier in the 
Revolutionary \\'ar.. He was a farmer and 
was in good circumstances for his time. His 
marriage with Betsey Kelley resulted in the 
birth of eleven children; thev reared seven 
sons, and three daughters. 'I~he following 
grew to maturity, and married: Timothv 
(subject's grandfather). Stephen, Elizabeth. 
Benjamin, Joseph, Hannah, Lydia, Prudence, 
and Diana. Benjamin was accidentally 
drowned in Lake Ontario. Joseph died in 
1868. Hannah married Daniel Idulett. Lydia 
nVarried Jacob i\nsh. Prudence m.arried Seba 
Phillips. 

Timothv Buxton was born in Danby. \'er- 
mont. He married Elizabeth Calvin, and 
had three sons, as follows: Luther, subject's 
father: Benjamin; and Jonathan. Ik'njamin 
resided in 1 bunburg, Erie county. X. Y.. in 
the vicinity of Buffalo, until his death in the 
spring of 1899. at the advanced age of ninety- 
seven years. At the age of ninety-five years he 
attended to his own banking. He reared a 
familv of children, who are settled near him. 
Jonathan was last heard of in 1869. He then 
lived at Slatersville, R. L. and was then one 
hundred and two years old. His wife was one 
hundred years old. 

Luther Buxton, our subject's father, was 
born in Danby, \'ermont. There also his mar- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



379 



riage occurred. In 1825, iie was united in 
marriage with Saniantha Paris. Tliej' settled 
on the farm now the liome of our subject, 
where their eleven children were born. The 
names of their children are: Adelaide; Ma- 
lona ; Julia Ann ; Daniel ; Mary Jane ; Harvey ; 
Henry; John Emory, the subject of these 
lines; Edwin; Almira ; and Helen. Adelaide 
died in early childhood. Malona is the widow 
of David Edmonds. She is the oldest living 
member of the family and resides in Middle- 
town Springs. Julia Ann married David 
Cook of the same neighborhood, and is now 
deceased ; five children survive her. Daniel 
settled in Marengo, 111. He married Ann S. 
Cone, who died when thirty-fi\'e years old, 
leaving one daughter. Mary Jane married 
Crocker J. Clift, and lived on the old farm, 
where her death took place October 28, 1886; 
she left two sons, — William B. and Edwin 
Buxton. Harvey was an able lawyer in Car- 
lyle, Illinois, where he died, leaving six chil- 
dren. Henry was a prosperous farmer in 
Middletown, Vermont. Edwin farms in 
Nebraska. He has a family of nine children. 
Almira resides at the old home. Helen mar- 
ried Dr. J. S. Henderson, of Oskaloosa, Iowa ; 
she is a business woman and has been book- 
keeper and accountant for the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railway Company's mine store 
at Oskaloosa for many years. 

Luther Buxton died November 28, 185 1, 
when fifty-three years old. His widow sur- 
vived him many years, her death occurring 
December 26, 1878. She was a noble woman. 
She gave a good home training to each mem- 



ber of her large family of children and man- 
aged with skill her large farm of 300 
acres. She was nuich beloved and hon- 
ored by all her children, who are so 
widely scattered now. The last to leave 
was Helen (Mrs. Henderson), who still 
makes summer visits at the old home, 
which is a sacred and charming spot to them 
all. November 20, 1865, John Emory Buxton 
was joined in marriage with Antha M. Clift. 
Two children have been born to them, name- 
Iv : Mae Louise and Benjamin Clift. Mae 
Louise Buxton was born August 20, 1866. 
She is the wife of William A. Wells, of Oska- 
loosa. Iowa. They have one son, Em- 
ory Buxton, four years of age, and 
an infant daughter, Leona Mae. Benja- 
min Clift Buxton, who was born Sep- 
tember 18, 1867. is his father's successor as 
manager of the coal mines at Oskaloosa, Iowa. 
He married Ethel Gray, a daughter of Leon- 
idas Gra)-, and they have two daughters, Mae 
Grav, aged six years; and Corine Gray, aged 
five years. Our subject's children were edu- 
cated in Penn College. Oskaloosa, Iowa, and 
in the Northwestern Lniversity of Illinois. 

IVIrs. Buxton is a daughter of Nathaniel 
and Polly (Crocker) Clift. Her father was 
born April i, 1801, and her mother April 10, 
1807. They were married January 16, 1829. 
Twelve children were born to them, six sons 
and six daughters. Two sons died in infancy. 
The names of the other ten children are as 
follows : Alice Lucy ; Sarah Eliza ; Jane Mary ; 
Henry Rollin ; Crocker J. ; William Walton ; 
Martha Emily; Antha M. (subject's wife); 



380 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Charles Martin: and Louise Elizabetli. Alice 
Lucy is the widow Dye. of East Poultney, 
and has one daughter. Sarah Eliza is the wife 

of Truman Lewis, of ()rwell. Xcrninnt: they 
had four sons and one daughter, of whom 
two sons only are livinj^-. Jane Mary married 
Albert Clark, of East Poultney. \'t. : she died 
May 12. 1867. being survived at this date 
(1899) by two of her live children. Henry 
Rollin is a progressi\e farmer of ]\liddle- 
town. X'crmont. He married Emeline Camp 
Ogden, of Newark. Xew Jersey, and ten of 
their ele\en children are still living. Crocker 
J. is postmaster at Middletown Sjirings. — his 
sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Will- 
iam Walton, who was named for the I\ev. 
William Walton, of Marble Head. Massachu- 
setts, famous in colonial times, is a hardware 
•nercliant in South Dakota at Rajiid Cit\'. 
January 4. 1871. he was joined in marriage 
with Emma Jane Wemple. of Janesville. Wis- 
consin. They have one son and one daugh- 
ter. Martha lunil}- was married to Dr. Albert 
.\. Deering. of Boone. Iowa. They ha\e four 
children. Charles Martin is now in Point 
Loma. San Diego county. California. He 
married luilalia Kenned}'. Louise Elizabeth 
died April 10. 1865. The father of these 
children died Decend)er 2, 1873. .and was 
survived by his widow until ( )ctober. 1882. 

Mrs. Pju.\ton's paternal great-great-grand- 
father was Samuel Clift. He married Lvdia 
Dagett, and they reared five sons, all of whom 
rendered \'alued ser\ice to our countr\ dur- 
ing the Rexolutionar)- War. tin-ee of them. 
Lemuel, \\'ills and Waterman, attaining the 



rank of major. The names of tiie five sons 
are here given: Amos, Lemuel, Joseph, 
Wills, and Waterman. Amos Clift was 
born September 20. 1737. and died 
July 29, 1806; he is the great-grand- 
father of Mrs. Bu.xton. In the Revolu- 
tionary War he was a recruiting of- 

I licer and held many positions of trust. Lem- 
uel, who was born October 10, 1755. and 
died .September 13, 1821. settled in Dutchess 
countv. Xew York, and reared a large family. 

[ Joseph Clift was born September 13. 1750, 

1 and died May 9, 1827; settled in Onondaga 
countv. New York, and also reared a familv. 
Wills, born June 18, 1745, and died in 1810, 

! settled in Saugatuck (now West Port), Con- 
necticut. Waterman Clift was born Dccem- 

i ber 2'6. 1741 : the date of bis death is un- 
known. He settled in Wimlham. Connecti- 
cut. Mrs. Buxton is eligible to both the 
Daughters of the American Revolution, antl 
the Colonial Dames. Her son and daugh- 
ter are eligible on both maternal :uid ]);iternal 
sides. 

On her maternal side. Mrs. Buxton de- 
scentled from Deacon William Crocker, who 
emigrated from England to Barnstable, Mass., 
in 1639. He was among the first settlers of 
that ])lace. He reared seven children, six of 
wdiom were sons. Josiah. the fifth child, mar- 
ried Malatiah Hinckle_\', a daughter of Thomas 
Hinckley, who was Governor of the Plymouth 
Colonies for eleven' years. The next in line 
of descent was Joseph Crocker. He mar- 
ried Temperance Burshley. Their seven chil- 
dren were all born in Barnstaljle. William, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



381 



who was the first bom, married his cousin, 
Mary Crocker, and the}' reared eiyht children. 
Their _voungest son, Benjamin, niarrie<l Bath- 
sheba Hall. Benjamin and Bathsheba (Hall) 
Crocker were the great-grandparents of Mrs. 
Buxton. They reared six children. The sixth 
child was Peter Crocker, a soldier of the Re\'- 
olution, who married Hannah Young, of New- 
Bedford, Massacliusetts, and reared twelve 
children. The ninth child was Polly Crocker, 
Mrs. Bu.xton's mother, 

Mr. Buxton is one of those broad-gauge 
men, so seldom seen, i^hysically and mentally, 
socially and financially. He is a Thirty-second 
degree Mason. In his political opinions, he 
favors the Republican party, but has never 
entered the political field. 




|RS. ANNA B. PHELPS, widow of 
the late Harrison Phelps, resides in 
Fair Haven, Rutland county, 
Vermont, and is a woman of rare worth and 
loveliness of character. 

Harrison Phelps was born in the town of 
Orwell, Vermont. He was a son of Elnathan 
and Phoebe Phelps, respected and esteemed 
residents of Orwell, where Mr. Phelps fol- 
lowed farming. He died in 1842, and his 
widow survived him many years, — dying at 
the advanced age of eighty years. Harrison 
Phelps was reared to farm life and continued 
to follow that line of work, for a long period. 
He left his farm in New York, in 1875, and 
located in Fair Haven, Vermont, where he 



lived a retired life, and enjoyed the fruits of 
early industry. He passed peacefulK- awav in 
May, 1895, aged eighty-one years. In poli- 
tics. Mr. Phelps was a Republican, and held 
many town and county offices in the state 
of New York. He also served long as justice 
of the peace, and as supcrxisor. In early life 
he united with the Baptist church, but subse- 
quently Ijecame an .\dventist. He was an 
earnest Christian worker, and was highlv re- 
spected and esteemed by all who knew him. 

]\Irs. Phelps is a daughter of Hezekiah and 
Myra (Miller) Bosworth, of Hampton, New 
York. Her father was a practical farmer on 
the farm where he li\'ed ever since he 
was ten years of age. He and his wife reared 
ten of the fifteen children born to them. The 
first of these ten to die, was William Bos- 
worth, who was then about forty-four years 
old. Five are still li\'ing, namely: Cynthia, 
widow of Asa Meacham, of Tacoma, Wash- 
ington ; Anna B., the subject of these lines; 
Amanda, wife of Don E. Atwood, of Castle- 
ton (see sketch elsewhere, herein) ; Eliza, 
widow of John D. Wood, of Fair Haven ; and 
Myra, wife of Nathan Batchelder, of Hamp- 
ton, New York. David Bosworth, one of 
Mrs. Phelps' deceased brothers, was an Ad- 
vent preacher. He died in March, 1899, at 
the advanced age of eighty-four years. 

The subject of this sketch received a good 
education in the |)ublic schools of her native 
place. October 30, 1843, she was joined in 
marriage with Harrison Phelps, Two daugh- 
ters blessed this union, Julia E. and Emma A. 
Julia E. is the wife of Henry Webster, a pros- 



382 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



peroiis farmer in Poultney Seminary, and 
taught school several years, prior to her mar- 
riage. She is a lady of exceptional ability. 

Emma A. was a most amiable and mucii 
beloved character. She was called away from 
her earthlv home when onlv fifteen vears of 
age. It will be observed that INlrs. Phelps 
comes of a family noted for longevity, and for 
true worth. She has lived to sustain the fam- 
ily reputation in both respects. She has many 
warm friends in the coimnunit\- where she has 
spent nearl}- a quarter of a century, and her 
presence is considered almost indispensable 
at social gatherings. 




c^.p, jRS. MARY MELVINA HALLO- 
WELL, a summer resident of Cas- 
tleton, Rutland county, \'er- 
mont, is the widow of William Penrose Hallo- 
well, who died in Philadelphia, Pa., April 13, 
1894. ]Mr. Hallowel! was a native of the 
Quaker City, where lie spent the greater part 
of his life. He was a stock broker, and was 
an officer of the 55th Reg., Massachusetts 
(colored) Vol. Infantry. 

Mrs. Hallowel! is a daughter of Colonel 
Farrand and Melvina (Tomlinson) Parker. 
Her father was a native of Castleton, and her 
mother, of Connecticut; the latter, however, 
was brought to Castleton, while still young. 
She was a daughter of Caleb Tomlinson, who 
died in Castleton, leaving four daughters and 
two sons. Colonel Parker was a very suc- 
cessful business man. He was a prosperous 
merchant of Castleton, for many years, but 



afterward engaged in the marble business, 
which is the principal industry of that section 
of the Green Mountain State. He owned and 
operated marble quarries during his later 
years. He was an earnest and zealous member 
of the Congregational church. Some years 
prior to his death he was somewhat afflicted 
with deafness. Though not a robust man, he 
possessed much energy and endurance. Four 
children were born to him and his worth}' 
wife. Of these one died in infancy. The 
other three are: Jennie L., wife of Theodore 
Wilkins, in Bedford, Massachusetts; ]\Iary 
Melvina, the subject of these lines ; and 
George Farrand, a prominent business man, 
of Philadelphia, wliere he has lived many 
years. He has a wife and one daughter. 
Mrs. Hallowell's mother died about the year 
1 89 1. She was followed to the grave, a few 
years later, by her husband, who died Decem- 
ber 21, 1895. They rest in the new cemetery, 
in Castleton. 

Mrs. Hallowell has been twice married. 
She was tirst united with Henry Dewey, a first 
cousin of the famous .Vdmiral. Henry Dewey 
was a native of Bennington, Vt., and was en- 
gaged in the marble business. He died while 
still a young man, and left his widow with 
two children : Mabel, and Henry Arthur. 
Mabel Dewey is a young lady still at home. 
Henry j\rthur Dewey has a lucrati\-e posi- 
tion with the Mutual Life Insurance Com- 
pany of Philadelphia. These children w'ere 
educated in the Friends' School, of Phila- 
delphia, — a most excellent educational insti- 
tution. 




ORVILLE CLARK BAKER, M. U. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



385 



Mrs. Hallowe'll spends her winters in Pliila- 
delpliia, Init her sunnners are all jiassed in 
Castleton, at the old home where her parents 
settled soon after their marriage, and where 
she and her children were both born. 

The brother of the subject of this sketch, 
also, spends his summers in this pleasant s]iot, 
endeared bv so many sacred associations. 




RVILLE CLARK BAKER, M. D.. a 
prominent physician in the village of 
Brandon, Vermont, whose portrait is 
shown on the opposite page, resides at Num- 
ber 1 6, Franklin street, where he located in 
1 89 1. Dr. Baker comes of good old Quaker 
ancestry. He was born in Peru, Clinton coun- 
ty, New York, September 3, 185 1. He is a 
son of Henry and Marie (Buck) Baker, and 
grandson of David and Lydia (Agard) Baker. 
David Baker was born in Peru, N. Y., about 
1754. He was thrice married. His second 
wife, Lydia Agard, was the mother of our sub- 
ject's father ; she also bore her husband one 
other son and two daughters. David Baker 
had children by each of his three wives, rear- 
ing, in all, twelve children, all of whom are 
probably now deceased. One son, William, 
was killed in the Civil War. Another son, 
Hiram, was a farmer in Peru, where he died 
aged eighty-two years ; he was quite well-to-do 
and reared one son. One daughter, Mary, 
married E. Barlow, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, 
where she died in old age ; she left one son. 
Another daughter, Huldah, married Jehial 



Hathaway, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and at 
her death left a large family. David Baker was 
a Quaker. Our subject's grandparents were 
buried in the Quaker Union burial ground in 
Peru. 

Henry Baker, father of our subject, was 
born in 1809, prol)al)ly in Peru, New York. 
He died in 1858. Like his father, he was a 
Quaker, was also thrice married, and had 
twelve children. His first wife was Eunice 
Wright. She died early and left one son. 
His second wife was Clara Wright, a sister 
to his first wife. .\t her death, she left but 
two children. Henry Baker was then united 
in marriage with Marie Buck, a daughter of 
David and Mary (Maxfield) Buck, of Peru. 

Soon after their marriage, our subject's 
parents settled on a part of the old homestead 
farm. They had five children, three sons and 
two daughters, namely: William H., Or- 
ville Clark (our subject), Lydia Agard, Eva 
A., and Horatio E., of Ausable, N. Y., who 
is serving a second term as supervisor of his 
town. William H. Baker, who was a farmer 
by occupation, died at the age of thirty-seven 
years, leaving a widow. Lydia Agard mar- 
ried Melville L. Reed, of Schuyler Falls, New 
York. 

After the death of Henry Baker, his widow 
married again, becoming the wife of David 
Hallock. She died in 1898 in Ausable, where 
she sleeps the last long and dreamless sleep. 

Orville Clark Baker was educated in the 
common schools, which he left when sixteen 
years old ; this he supplemented with a course 
at the Plattsburg, N. Y., High School and 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Saranac Academy. He had previously left 
home at the age of fourteen years, and had 
worked on farms in the summers for wages, 
and for his board during the winter, at the 
same time attending school. When eighteen 
years old, he taught his first term of school — 
a winter term of seven months in the district 
school. He continued to teach and soon took 
up the study of medicine in connection with 
teaching. He studied medicine more or less 
until he was twenty-four years old, when he 
wisely decided to devote his whole time and 
attention to medicine. 

In February, 1879, he graduated from the 
University of New York, where the degree 
of AI. D. was conferred upon him. Soon af- 
terward. Dr. Baker began the practice of his 
chosen profession in Hebron, Washington 
county, New York. He remained there for 
two and a half years and met with flattering 
success. He then sought a better location in 
Hartford, New York, where he practiced med- 
icine for eight years and a half. In July, 1890, 
Dr. Baker located in Brandon, Vermont, 
where he has been a regular practitioner ever 
since. September 3, 1878, Dr. Baker married 
Frances M. Buck, of Grand Isle, Vt. Mrs. 
Baker is a daughter of Edward and Alartha J. 
(White) Buck. Her father died in Jay, New 
York, in 1893, aged seventy-three years. He 
left a widow and three daughters; one daugh- 
ter, Jane Hathaway, resides in Jay, where the 
beloved mother is also spending her de- 
clining years. Another daughter, Louise, wife 
of George W. Crown, resides at Essex Junc- 
tion, Vermont. Mrs. Baker was the recipient 



of a high school education in Plattsburg, N. 
Y., and taught school prior to her marriage. 
Four children ha\-e been born to Dr. and Mrs. 
Baker, as follows: Eva Frances, Arthur 
James. Horatio O., and Clarence M. ; their 
ages are. respectively, eighteen, fifteen, six, 
and three years. The older ones are students 
in the Brandon High School. 

Dr. Baker is a prominent man in ISIasonic 
circles. He is a Knight Templar and is a 
member of Mt. Calvary Commandery. He is 
also past master of St. Paul Lodge of Bran- 
don. In politics, he is a stanch Republican 
and has served his party in various ways. 
While in Hartford, he served as supervisor 
and is now serving as chairman of the Bran- 
don school board. Both Dr. and Mrs. Baker 
are members of the }\l. E. church, of which 
the Doctor is steward and also trustee. 

Dr. Baker is a prominent man and an active 
member of various medical societies, among 
them the New York State Medical Society, 
the \'ennont State Medical Society, and the 
Rutland County, \'t.. Medical Society. He 
served as president of the Washington Coun- 
ty, N. Y., Medical Society. In the practice of 
his profession he has won for himself an en- 
viable reputation for skill and pimctuality. 
His practice is gradually extending into the 
neighboring towns and counties. His income 
is further augmented by his connection with 
various insurance companies. He acts at the 
present time as medical examiner for the Na- 
tional Life Insurance Company of Montpe- 
lier, \'ermont. New York Life, Home Life 
and the Metropolitan Life Insurance com- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



387 



panics of New York. Dr. Baker is a pleasant, 
agreeable gentleman, and is a useful meml)er 
of society. 




r^ ,TSS ALICE MARY HARRISON, 
a well-known citizen of Brandon, 
Rutland county, Vermont, comes 
of a prominent, old New England family. She 
is a daughter of Samuel Wilson and Jane P. 
(Braird) Harrison, and was born in Chitten- 
den, Rutland county, Vermont. 

Samuel Harrison, the earliest known an- 
cestor, was born in England and was grad- 
uated from the University of Oxford, al- 
though it is not known whether he studied 
for a profession. He taught much in early 
life and in 1772 came to .Vmerica and settled 
in Roxbury, Mass., and afterward moved to 
Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was united in 
marriage with Nancy Robinson, and they had 
three children : Samuel ; Joseph ; and Jesse. 
.\fter the death of his wife he formed a second 
union with Betsey Dent, and their childreai 
were: Betsey; Dent; and William Henry. 

Samuel Harrison, the oldest child born to 
his parents, was born on April 26. 1756, in 
Norton, Derby county, England, and soon 
after coming to America with his father, in 
1772, the Revolutionary \\'ar began. He en- 
listed in the Continental army and served 
under Warner in his expedition to Canada, in 
1775, continuing in the army for three years, 
a part of the time as a lieutenant. On March 
9. 1780, he married Rebecca Keeler, who was 
born in Ridgefield, Conn., August 26, 1756. 



He located in Pittsfield, Mass., and early re- 
moved to Chittenden, Vt., where he w-as one 
of the early settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison 
had the following offspring: Samuel; Lo\-i- 
sey: Betsey: Joseph; Clarinda; William 
Henry; and Pamela. He died on April 6, 181 3, 
and his wife followed him, May i, 1832. Sam- 
uel Harrison, their oldest son, was born in 
Chittenden, Vt., and lived there all of his life, 
dying there at the age of fiftv-three vears. 
His wife was Lois Smith, a daughter of Reu- 
ben Smith, and their children were: Willard 
Smith; Almira; Laura Ann; Samuel Wilson; 
Jane; and Adelaide. 

Samuel Wilson Harrison was born July 19, 
1817. His wife was Jane P. Braird, who was 
born in Rutlaml, Rutland county, Vermont, 
December 6, 181 3, and was a daughter of 
Henry and Sibyl (Daniels) Braird. Samuel 
Wilson Harrison attained to considerable 
wealth, as a farmer; he was a man of influence 
and nnich respected in the community. He 
was born July 19, 1817, and died April 19, 
1878. Two children were born to Mr. Harri- 
son and his wife, as follows : Henry Clayton ; 
and Alice Mary. 

Henry Clayton Harrison early in life began 
preparation for the legal profession and was 
graduated from I3artmouth in 1871, lieing ad- 
mitted to the Rutland couiUy bar in 1874. He 
was xery successful in practice, but of late 
years has turned his attention to farming, at 
which his father was so successful. He was 
united in marriage with Mary Cain, of Rut- 
land, and they had four children, three of 
whom are now living: Mary Wilson Harrisoii, 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



who is in the class of 1900 in Burlington Uni- 
versity ; Susan Avery, who lives with our sui)- 
ject; the third child was a son who died in 
infancy; and Annie lilizaheth. whi) is now in 
school. Mrs. Harrison died on December 26, 
1888. 

Miss Alice Mary Harrison resides in iicr 
handsome home im l'"rankHn street, in liran- 
don, where she keejis sunnner and winter 
boarders. She is a practical l)usiness woman, 
and her lionie is always open to a large circle 
of friends with whom she has associated for 
many years. jMiss Harrison is the possessor 
of some valuable old pieces which have been 
in the family for many generations. Nathan- 
iel Daniels, the great-uncle of her mother, 
kept a ta\ern in W'orthington, Mass.. and was 
given by bis father a pewter platter of odd 
shape, which is eighteen inches in diameter. 
This was used in the first Independence din- 
ner of W'orthington, Massachusetts, and is 
now in her possession. She also has a (|uaint 
old wooden chair, w hich Rebecca Keeler bad 
when she moved from Connecticut to Chit- 
tenden, Vermont. She has a number of other 
pieces of anticiue- furniture. 



(JT '^'IMOTHY H. ALDEN. On the 
t I farm, which is his present home, the 
subject of this memoir was l)orn. in 
the town of Brandon, Rutland county. X'er- 
mont, August 29, 1827. He is a son of Hiram 
Alden. grandson of Timothy Alden. and great- 
grandson of Thomas Alden, and is descended, 



in the seventh generation, from John Alden, 
who was the historic proxy of Miles Standish 
in wooing I^riscilla Mullen, but m the end 
appro|)riated that maiden to himself. 

Hiram .Mden. the father of Timothv fl., 
was born in Leicester, Addison county. Ver- 
mont. June 2^, 1801. His father, Timothy, a 
native X'ermonter, was born about the time 
of the beginning of the Revolutionary War. 

Timothy Alden. grandfather of Timothy 
H., was the husband of Polly Smith, a native 
of \'ermont. He was a physician, and, in 
the latter part of his life, was a resident of 
Leicester, \'t., where he died about the year 
1843. and where his remains are buried. His 
widow survi\'ed him until about the year 1853, 
and (lied at an advanced age. They reared 
si.x scjns and three daughters, all of whom 
grew to maturity, except two of the sons, 
Timothy and Seymour, who died in youth. 
The other children of Dr. and Mrs. Alden 
were as follows: William; Hiram, father of 
Timothy H. ; Betsy; Julia; .\hna; Isaac; 
Stephen ; of these all married and had off- 
spring except Alma, the sole sur\i\or. who 
is now nearly ninety years old. 

Mr. Alden's maternal great-grandfather, 
Sanuiel llurnell, settled in lirandon on two 
tracts of 100 acres each, which now comprise 
i)ur suljject's farm and the (jne adjoining. He 
was one of the pioneer settlers in the wilder- 
ness there. The site of his first abode is now 
indicated by an old foundation and cellar near 
the spring on the hillside. Samuel Burnell 
passed away at an early age. dying in T814. 
and being surviveil by bis widow and an only 




JOHN M. WILLIAMS. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



391 



child, "aged five years. His father, who lived 
to be over eighty years old, reared a family 
of six sons and four daughters, all of whom 
married and some of whom removed to the 
state of New York, and subsequently moved 
still farther west. 

The mother of the subject of this biogra- 
phy was Abigail liurnell, who was born in 
September, 1800, just across the road from 
Timothy H. Alden's homestead. Hiram 
Alden and his wife Abigail were married in 
March, 1825, when the bride was in her six- 
teenth year, and Timothy H. was born before 
she was eighteen years of age. Following his 
birth came that of Lydia \V. Mrs. Alden died 
in 1875. She was the only child of Amos and 
Lydia (Warner) Burnell. Mr. Burnell was 
born on the hill farm back of the town, where 
Samuel Burnell had settled. Since that pe- 
riod the title of this farm has not changed 
or passed out of the family, and the one ad- 
joining changed owners only recently, in the 
spring of 1889. Mr. Alden's ancestors of the 
Burnell family were successful farmers, and 
modest and worthy people. 

Being raised as a farmer boy, Timothy 
H. Alden was favored with only a common 
schooling. On February 28, 1856, he was 
married to Vilora J. West, a daughter of 
George Washington West, and his wife Cyn- 
thia M. (Pepper) \Vest, who was born and 
reared in Washington, Vermont, Although a 
blacksmith by trade, Mr. West did not follow 
that occupation for any great period. Mr. 
and Mrs. West resided in Brandon village, 
where they had four sons and two daughters, 



one of the sons dying young. Mrs. Alden's 
younger sister, Alice J., is the wife of How- 
ard A. McKenny, residing in Gorham, 
Maine. Mrs. West died in 1873, aged fifty- 
nine years, andi Mr. West died iu 1878, when 
seventy-three years old. Excepting ten years 
spent in Boston, between which city and 
Brandon they frequently journeyed to and fro, 
the couple passed their lives in Brandon. 

Mr. Alden is a Republican, but has neither 
held nor sought public office. He has, how- 
ever, served on the school committee. He 
is engaged in mixed farming but has bred 
and worked some good horses. His gelding 
"Tim" is now the property of Mr. Tailer in 
New York City. 



-^OHN M. WTLLIAMS, deceased, whose 
portrait accompanies this sketch, was a 
prominent farmer who resided upon his 
farm near Sudbury, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, and was one of the substantial citizens 
of the community, interesting himself in all 
matters of a public nature, tending to advance 
the best interests of his fellow-citizens. He 
was born at West Port, Essex county, N. Y., 
December 7, 1835, and was a son of Josephus 
and Lucy (Olds) Williams. 

Josephus \\'illiams was a well-to-do farmer 
in the eastern part of the town of Sudbury, 
where he lived with his family for many years. 
He married Lucy Olds, of West Port, N. 
Y., and they became the parents of five chil- 
dren : Their only daughter, Electa Ann, died 



392 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



at the age of twelve years. John M., the sub- 
ject of this biographical record; William T., 
a farmer in West Port, N. Y. ; Frank J., a 
farmer of Castleton, Vt. ; and Eugene C, who 
went to Michigan in the "seventies," and 
there follows agricultural pursuits. Upon the 
death of Mrs. Williams, our subject's father 
married his first wife's sister, by whom he had 
one son, Plynn E., of Sandy Hill, N. Y. 
Josephus Williams lived to reach the age of 
seventy years, dying about the year 1877. 

John M. Williams, in 1S37, on the i6th of 
September, was united in marriage with Ellen 
S. Wheeler, of Sudbury, a daughter of Augus- 
tus and Sophia (Little) Wheeler, her grand- 
mother Little being Penelope McRoberts, a 
native of Scotland. Her paternal grandfather 
was Seth Wheeler, of Granville, N. Y., who 
served as a captain throughnul the Revolu- 
tionarv War and lived to reach the age of 
seventy years. His son. Augu.stus Wheeler, 
was a farmer bv \iicati()n, and owned an ex- 
cellent farm in Sudbury. His union with 
Sophia Little was prolific of nine children, of 
whom but two arc now living, namely: Ellen 
S.. the widow of our subject: and Dennis \V., 
a pioneer settler of South Dakota. Mr. 
Wheeler died in December, 1874. He was a 
prominent man in his section of the county 
and saw active service in the War of i8t j. 

Early in life, John M. Williams took to 
farming and after his marriage lived with his 
wife on a small farm about one-half mile dis- 
tant from the old Wheeler property. Upon the 
death of her father, they came into possession 
of the latter property, which he continued to 



farm until his demise, January 20. 1899. He 
was a man of good business capacity and was 
very successful. He was an active member of 
the community in which he li\ed, and his 
death was a sad loss to a host of friends and 
ac(|uaintances in whose midst he had spent 
his entire life. The following children Ijlessed 
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Williams: Guy 
Wheeler and Clara .\. Guy Wheeler, a 
hustling business man and live stock dealer, 
succeeded to the ownership of the homestead. 
He was uniteil in marriage with Cora A. Dow, 
a daughter of Orator and Clara (De Long) 
Dow, of Leicester, \'t., w here he follows farm- 
ing; this union was blessed with two sons: 
Royal C, born May 21, 1892, and Robert 
Guy, born March 2. 1885. Clara A. is the 
wife of John G. Bucklin. Mrs. Williams is in 
the best of health physically, and lives in the 
happy companionship of her children, who 



li\c close 



and in the midst of a large circle 



of close friends, many of whom she has known 
since earlv life. 




RS. AXX JENNETT HO AD- 
LEY is the widow of the late Har- 
vey Hoadley. and resides at Mid- 
dletown Springs, Vermont, Harvey Hoadley 
was born in Tinmouth. \'ermont, July 16, 
1807, and passed to his linal rest January 16, 
1887. The house in which he was born is now 
one hundred years old. He was a son of 
.Alvan and Thirza (Roger.s) Hoadley. 

Alvan Hoadley was born in Branford, New 
Haven county, Connecticut, and was of Eng- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



393 



lisli stock. His birtli occurred December 31, 
1779. He married Tliirza Rooers, who was 
born August 20, 1788. ]\lr. Hoadley went 
to Tinmoutli, on liorseback, in 1804, and his 
marriage took place Septeml^er 12, of the 
same year. He paid two hundred silver dol- 
lars for an old fashioned cottage and one acre 
of land. He was a blacksmith by trade, as 
were his son, Harvey, and four of his grand- 
sons. Alvan Hoadley was twice married. His 
tirst wife bore him two children, Harvey, and 
Thirza. Thirza married a ]\Ir. Palmer, of 
Connecticut, where she was taken when nine 
months old, — having lost her mother at that 
age. Her father was again married ; the sec- 
ond time he was joined in marriage with 
Rachel Rice, who bore him four sons and one 
daughter. All are deceased except two of 
the sons, namely: Jonathan, a resident of 
New York State, aiid Charles, who resides 
in Tinmouth, Vermont. 

September 2, 1833. Harry Hoadley was 
united in marriage w^ith Ann Jennett Gray, 
the subject of this sketch. This happy union 
resulted in the l^irth of five children, as fol- 
lows: Alvan G., \\'illiam H., Francis Harvey, 
Justus Rogers, and Joseph P. Alvin G. was 
born July 9. 1836, and died October 13, 1878, 
in Castleton, Vermont. One daughter, Net- 
tie M. Carter, of Rutland, Vermont, survived 
him. William H. was born June 11, 1839. Tn 
1861, he enlisted in the Union army in re- 
sponse to the first call for volunteers. He 
died, April 17, 1876, leaving one son, Ives 
O., who resides in Tinmouth, with his 
wife and two children. Francis Harvey was 



born April 6, 1847. He was a soldier in the 
Ci\il \\'ar, serving three years, and coming 
out of the service, when eighteen years of age. 
He was wounded, not seriously, however, in 
an engagement in the Shenandoah Valle)-. He 
is now married, Init has no children. Justus 
Rogers was liorn September 22, 1855. He is 
engaged in the insurance business, and has a 
wife, oidy. Joseph P. was born August 25, 
1856. at Aliddletown Springs, Vermont. He 
is married and is an artesian well driller, by 
occupation., 

Harvey Hoadley was a quiet, unobtrusive 
man. He was a communicant of the Metho- 
dist church, and served many years as stew- 
ard therein. Both he and his wife joined that 
church in 1842, and were among its most 
faithful worshipers. Mrs. Hoadley is the only 
living member of the class she joined in 1839. 
By special request of her pastor and others, 
she is writing a history of the class. Mrs. 
Hoadley is a daughter of Henry and Minerva 
(Loomis) Gray. Her father was born July 
7, 1784. and her mother April 25. 1795. Their 
marriage was solemnized December 2, 1813. 
They settled at Middletown Springs, and 
lived in three different houses, before occupy- 
ing the fine, brick residence which Mr. Gray 
built in 1832. Mrs. Hoadley's brother, Eugene 
Gray, resides there at the present time. There 
it was that the beloved parents both passed 
away. 

Mr. Gray passed to his final rest June 4, 
1865, and was followed by his widow, Novem- 
ber 18, 1870. They were the parents of four 
children, viz. : Ann Jennett, the stibject of 



394 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



these lines: Henry S., Ixirn Septcnil)er 21, 
1816, and now a resident of Tinniontli : Wil- 
liam N., born September 13, 1819, and resid- 
ing near Middietown Springs; and Eugene 
W., who was born February 4, 1828. 

David Gray, the paternal grandfather of 
Mrs. Hoadley. married Hannah Slingerland. 
who was a widow, her maiden name having 
been Plannah Newbury; by him she had five 
sons. She died in Middietown Springs, at 
the home of her son, in 1838, aged seventy- 
eight years. Mrs. Hoadley (as was her hus- 
band), has been a thoughtful, studious person. 
Many years ago, each of them began keeping 
a diary, both of which are valuable records. 

The subject of this sketch has ever been 
a woman of most wonderful energy, though 
not large, nor strong. She is well preserved 
in body, and is still in the full possession of 
all her faculties. Some time since she suf- 
fered a severe fall, which caused a slight lame- 
ness. Her memory is most remarkable ; by it 
and her various records, she has rendered 
valuable assistance to many persons in com- 
piling genealogical records. 

It was a severe trial lo .Mrs. Hoadley to 
let her noble boy (her youngest son), go to 
the war. But after a severe struggle, her 
patriotism prevailed, and when he was fifteen 
years of age, she consented to his enlistment. 
He was most anxious to go, a year before. 
Airs. Hoadley kept in close correspondence 
with the captain of his company, and, subse- 
quently, with her son, directly, and was glad 
to know that he was among the model soldiers 
of the command. 



/^J-^EORGE B. \MNX, a retired and 
I 5-j- disabled veteran of the Civil War, re- 
sides in a snug home at Number 55, 
Washington street, in Fair Haven, Rutland 
county, Vermont. He has a fine, large lot 
with seventeen rods' frontage. Besides his 
neat and pleasant house, he has a convenient 
barn, and keeps a nice looking turnout with 
which he takes daily drives for the benefit of 
his health. Mr. Winn was born in Hampton, 
N. Y., January 22, 1832. He is a son of 
Richard and Alice (Reed) ^\■inn. His father 
was born in Ireland, about the year 1779, and 
came to America, when still a single man. 
After locating in Hampton, N. Y., he was 
joined in marriage with Alice Reed, — their 
wedding occurring in 1829. Mrs. Winn was 
a daughter of John Reed, of Ireland, and was 
born in Hampton. George B. Winn's parents 
lost their first born, who happened to be 
twins. George B. was the third child, and he 
had one lirothcr, Richard. 

Richard Winn was born in 1834. In 1862, 
he enlisted in the Union army, from Hyde- 
ville, joining the iith Reg., Vermont Artil- 
lery. He was sul)se(iuentl_\- transferred to the 
infantry, and served, in all, three years. ~FIe 
was wounded, and had smallpo.x, which was 
eventually the cause of his death. He died, 
in 1895, in Rutland, a widower, and leaving 
no children. The subject hereof also has one 
sister, Elizabeth A. She married Stephen F. 
Clough, resides in Rutland. \'ermont, and has 
one daughter. George B. Winn's father died 
in 1845, and was survived many years by his 
widow, who remained true to his memory. 




HORACE HOXIE DYER. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



897 



She died in 1883, at about seventy years of 
age. 

George B. Winn followed farming, during 
his youth. He assisted his father, who was a 
man in humble circumstances. Upon the 
death of that parent, George left home to learn 
the moulder's trade in Poultney, Vermont. 
He served a three years' api>renticeship and 
subsequently followed that trade for seven 
years. August 7. 1862, ]\Ir. Winn entered the 
Union army, from Whitehall, New York. He 
enlisted as a private in Company C, 123rd 
Reg.. New York Vol. Infantry. After serv- 
ing three }'ears, he remained in the army 
about live months. Ijefore recei\'ing his dis- 
charge. Mr. Winn was wounded in the bat- 
tle of Silver Creek, N. C. on March 17, 1865. 
A ball struck him in the arm, causing a com- 
pound fracture of that member, near the 
shoulder. His arm has been useless much of 
the time since then. For the past seven years, 
the subject hereof has also been troubled with 
blood poisoning. 

In politics, Mr. ^^'inn is a Repul;)lican. He 
is, also, a member of Bosworth Post, No. 53, 
Ci. A. R., of which he has ser\-ed as com- 
mander. April 2, 1856, Mr. Winn was joined 
in marriage with Mary A. Edgerly, of Poult- 
ney, Vermont. Mrs. Winn was, however, a 
native of Whitehall, New York. She bore 
her husband two children, one of whom, a 
son, died in infancy. The other, a daughter, 
was called Isabelle L. She is now in Sara- 
toga, N. Y., where she is a successful dress- 
maker. Mrs. \\''inn also had one daughter by 
a former marriage, namely: Elizabeth Moore, 



who is now a widow, and has one daughter, 
Jessie Belle Greer. 

Mr. Winn is generous and kind hearted. 
His affliction arouses much sympathy in his 
community, where he is exceedingly popular. 
He is an important personage in G. A. R. 
circles. In that organization he has served 
as junior vice commander and chaplain. 



^"f GRACE HOXIE DYER, whose por- 
trait is presented on the opposite 
page, is considered by many to be 
the most affluent and influential farmer in Rut- 
land county, Vermont, and is certainly one of 
its most worthy citizens. He comes from a 
long line of distinguished ancestors, and, al- 
though he is now almost an octogenarian and 
has led a remarkably busy life, is far from be- 
ing worn out, but is still vigorous in mind and 
body and is actively engaged in looking after 
his numerous investments and domestic 
affairs. 

The founder of the Dyer family in Amer- 
ica was William Dyer, who was born in Lon- 
don, England, and emigrated to America, 
locating in Boston, Massachusetts. He sub- 
sequently removed to Newport, Rhode Island, 
where he died in 1677. His wife, Mary, a 
Quakeress, was hanged for "conscience sake" 
on Boston Common, January i, 1660, choos- 
ing to die rather than abandon her faith. On 
March 15. 1637, he. with other residents of 
Boston, signed a remonstrance affirming the 
innocence of Mr. Wheelwright and that the 
court had condemned the truth of Christ, for 



398 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



wliich, November 17, 1637, he was disfran- 
cliised. April 28, 1637, A\'illiani Dyer, witli 
eight others, signed a compact preparatory 
to the settlement of Newport, he Ijeing the 
town clerk. In company with eighteen others, 
he, as clerk, signed the compact to incor- 
porate themselves into a "Bodie Politick," in 
Portsmouth, R. I., March 7, 1638; and, June 
5, 1639, he and three others apportioned the 
lands, having recorded to his name, March 
10, 1640, eighty-seven acres. 

\\'illiani Dyer was secretary of the town of 
Portsmouth from 1640 to 1647; in 1648 he 
was general recorder: from 1650 to 1^)53, he 
was attorney-general of Rhode Island. On 
the eighteenth day of May, 1653, he received 
a commission from the assembly to act against 
the Dutch, he being at that time commander- 
in-chief of the seas. He was also commis- 
sioner from 1661 to 1662; a deputy from 1664 
to 1666; general solicitor from 1665 to 1668; 
and secretary of council in 1669. Dyer's Isl- 
and, which he owned, was named for him bv 
Governor Coddington and others. William 
Dyer was sent to England on imjiortant mis- 
sions by the colonies and uianv times was a 
conferee of Roger Williams. His son. Sam- 
uel Dyer, was the next in line of descent. 

Samuel Dyer was burn in Boston, Mass., 
December 20, 1635. an<l died in Kingston, 
R. I., in 1678. His wife was, before marriage, 
Ann flutchinson, who was born November 
17, 1643, 3nd died January 10, 1717. Their 
son, Edward Dyer, was the next in line and 
was the great-great-grandfather of Horace 
Hoxie Dyer. 



Edward Dyer was born in Newport, R. I., 
in 1670, but subsequently settled in Kingston. 
R. I., where his son Samuel was born in 1702. 
Samuel Dyer moved to West Greenwich, R. 
I., where he died; on February 24, 1723. 
he married Tabitha Xiles, of East Greenwich, 
R. I., and their son, (icorge, was next in line 
of descent. 

George Dyer, the grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was born in West Greenwich, R. I., 
December 26, 1736, and died in Rutland, Ver- 
mont, January 8, 1817, past eighty-one years 
of age; he wetlded Ann Nichols, a daughter 
of Hon. Joseph Nichols and Abigail Spinck, 
his wife, of East Greenwich, R. I., Mr. Nichols 
being a prominent man in public affairs. Mr. 
and Mr.s. Dyer were married on Christmas 
Day, 1760, and their union was prolific of 
ten children. — se\-en sons and three daugh- 
ters, of whom iMlward. our subject's father, 
was the sixth son. The beloved mother died 
with her eleventh infant in 1780, at the age 
of forty years. Some years after her death. 
George Dyer married for his second wife, 
Amey Wait, who died in 1812. 

Edward Dver was born in ^^'est Green- 
wich. R. I., June 22,. 1774. He was twice 
married. His first wife was Sally Bowman, of 
Clarendon, \^ermont. Their marriage was 
celebrated November i, 1798. Mrs. Dyer left 
her earthly home. August i, 1816, leaving 
nine of her ten children to mourn her demise. 
Her tenth child, an infant, was buried with 
her. Of her children, only one is now liv- 
ing, Mrs. Mason Hulett, residing in Salis- 
bury, Vermont, a nipst sprightly and well-pre- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



399 



served lady for her years^ both physically and 
mentally. Edward Dyer was again married. 
January 7. 1818, to Hannah Hoxie. of Milton, 
who was born April to, 1789, a daughter of 
Gideon Hoxie who was the town clerk of 
Milton for over forty years. Gideon Hoxie, 
who was one of the pioneer settlers of Milton, 
V't., and had the distinction nf taking the first 
wagon to that \illage, was a son of Stephen 
Hoxie, of Charlestown, R. 1., who belonged 
to an old Quaker family. 

Mrs. Dyer still has her diaries, written in 
1812, when she was but a young lady, and 
they contain many interesting reminiscences. 
She was a woman of strong individuality and 
character and possessed a remarkably good 
memory, coupled with plenty of good com- 
mon sense. She bore her husband four chil- 
dren, of whom two lived to maturity, namely : 
Horace Hoxie, subject of this sketch ; and 
Sarah Bowman, wife of Zenas C. Ellis. Mrs. 
Ellis was born in 1821 and died July 7, 1876, 
leaving four sons, namely: George W., an able 
lawyer of New York City; Edward, M. D., a 
prominent physician of Poultney, Vt., who has 
a family ; Horace B., of Castleton, Vt., a prom- 
inent hotel keeper; and Zenas H., who is a 
farmer on the old homestead and is also a 
])r()minent banker and ])usiness man, — he is a 
fine scholar, has been a life-long student, and 
is a noted linguist. Edward Dyer, father of the 
subject of this biography, owned at one time 
some 800 acres of land in Rutland county, 
which he acc|uired by small purchases. His 
first purchase was made in 1794 when he 
bought 140 acres. He did not inherit wealth 



but earned and made his fine property.. He 
died May 12, 1854; the mother of our subject 
died February 17, 1869. 

Nathaniel Dyer, a great-uncle of Horace 
Hoxie Dyer, rendered valuable service to our 
country during the Revolutionary War, and 
his father's large estate and home was a place 
of rendezvous throughout the war. Re-unions 
often occurred there. General Nathaniel 
Greene was a cousin of Nathaniel Dyer. 

Horace Hoxie Dyer was born on the same 
farm and in the same house in which he now 
resides, two miles south of the city of Rutland, 
on the second day of April, 1820. He received 
his primary education in the district schools. 
At the age of ten years he went to a private 
school taught by Rev. Hadley Proctor and 
later attended the Brandon school, when Rev. 
Proctor was principal. At the age of sixteen 
years, he returned home, where he has since 
resided, with the exception of four months 
during the winter of his eighteenth year, when 
he taught in Fair Haven. His father needing 
him, he discontinued teaching for there w-as 
much to do at home, business demanding the 
attention of his father elsewhere. 

On the fifteenth day of February, 1866, 
Horace Hoxie Dyer wedded Abigail Jane 
Hitchcock, of Clarendon, \'ermont. She is a 
daughter of Henry and Hannah Lucy (Hu- 
lett) Hitchcock. Mr. and Mrs. Dyer have 
onlv one child, a son, Horace Edward, who, 
with his wife and two daughters, resides in 
Rutland. He was captain of Comi)any A, ist 
Vermont \'olunteer Infantry, in the late 
Spanish-American War, and upon being mus- 



400 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tered out of U. S. service was commissioned 
major of the ist Infantry, Vermont National 
Ciuards. He graduatetl from tlie University 
of Vermont, in 1893. 

Mr. and Mrs. Dyer have spent tlieir wedded 
Hfe at the pleasant home made sacred Ijy its 
associations, having been built l)y his father 
in 1810. Mr. Dyer is a Republican and has 
served the people of Rutland as selectman 
for seven years, and in other town offices. In 
1878 he was elected to the \'ermont Senate 
without any solicitation on his part and with- 
out spending either his time or his money. 
He was president of the Rutland County Agri- 
cultural Society for three consecutive years; 
justice of the peace from 1843 to 1870, or 
later, when Henry Hayward was chosen his 
successor at Mr. Dyer's urgent recjuest ; he 
was in the state militia from the time he at- 
tained the age of eighteen years and was cap- 
tain of the Rutland company for many years 
He is vice-president of the Killington Na- 
tional Bank, of which he was one of the organ- 
izers, and is a trustee of the Rutland Trust 
Company, of \\hich he was \ice-prcsident for 
several years. 

Henry Hitchcock, father-in-law of Mr. 
Dyer, was for many years a merchant in Rut- 
land, later engaged in business in the village 
of Clarendon, Vt., and still later turned his at- 
tention to farming ami the manufacture of 
marble, owning a quarr}' and also a mill. He 
was born August 22, 1805, in I'itt^^ford. V't., 
and died August 27, 1871, in Rutland. His 
wife was born July 4, 1817, and died January 
28, 1893. They reared only two of their five 



children, viz.: Mrs. Dyer; and her maiden 
sister, Louise Amelia Hitchcock. 

Rev. Ralmer Dyer, brother of Horace 
Iloxie Dyer, was educated in Union College 
at Schenectady, New York. His first charge 
was Granville, X. Y., aljout 1823; his next 
charge was at Syracuse, and in 1824 he went 
on a missionary trip to Illinois. After a long 
and tedious journey, he reached Chicago. 111., 
then a swamp hole. While an Episcopalian 
missionary in Chicago, he administered the 
tirst Episcopalian communion service in that 
city, in a Congregational church ui)on the in- 
vitation of the pastor, who also ijartook of 
the sacrament. In Chicago, he purchased an 
Indian pony which he rode to Peoria, where 
he established a mission, also establishing 
missions in dififerent ])arts of Illinois and 
Michigan. He was the editor of the "Epis- 
co]:)al Watchman," published in Hartford, 
Connecticut. He was drowned at .\usalile 
Chasm, near Lake Champlain, in August, 
1844. Rev. yiv. Dyer was a gifted writer and 
seemed to be inspired of Cod, — the following 
poem from his pen seeming prophetic of his 
early and tragic death. 

LIFE'.S VOYAGE. 
"//is/; be not afrau1."—Mat. XIV, 2-. 

As towards yon bright and blissful shore, 

Floats my frail, trembling barque along, 
Let tempests rage, let billows roar. 

They cannot drown my joyous song, 
They cannot hush my voice of prayer, 

Nor fill my trusting heart with dread; 
For God is with me everywhere, 

To cover my defenseless head. 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



401 



As once He bade the waves be still, 

When loved ones sailed on Galilee, 
With gentle gales their canvas filled, 

And sped them safely o'er the sea; 
So now, amid the angry waves, 

Beholdl He comes to rescue me; 
I fear not that in Ocean's caves 

My lonely sepulchre may be. 

I see Him when the lightnings flash 
In awful grandeur round me flies, 

I hear Him when the thunder's crash 

Rolls deep athwart the darkened skies; 

O then His smile, and then His voice. 
As in the mildest breeze of even, 

Both bid my fearless heart rejoice, 

While wafted on my course to Heaven. 



Ijf fisli 



E GRAND EASTMAN, the veteran 



fisherman, of Rutland, Vermont, comes 
"^^ ""^ of a family noted for longevity, of 
which he himself furnishes a splendid example. 
Mr. Eastman is now in his ninety-second year, 
but thinks nothing of walking three or four 
miles to fish for brook trout, and then back 
again over the same route. He celebrated his 
ninetieth birthday by walking four miles into 
the mountains, and catching a fine string of 
brook trout. He then walked home again, 
and was none the worse for the wear. He 
is still one of the most expert fishermen in 
this part of the country. During the trout 
season, Mr. Eastman is out whipping the 
stream, at least a week at one time. "I know 
all their tricks," says the aged angler, "but 
they don't know all of mine." The veteran 
fisher relates many interesting anecdotes of 
his experience with the rod, in Vermont and 



Wisconsin. By his long and varied expe- 
rience, he has familiarized himself with the 
habits and haunts of the speckled brook trout. 
The largest ever caught by him was a "four- 
pounder," taken in Wisconsin. He uses grass- 
hoppers for bail, and has landed as many as 
two hundred and twenty-nine fish in a single 
day. 

Mr. Eastman was born in East Rupert, 
Bennington county, Vt., June 20, 1808. He 
is a son of Elijah and Charlotte (Baldwin) 
Eastman, a grandson of Capt. Enoch East- 
man, and a great-grandson of Jonathan 
Eastman. 

Jonathan Eastman was a native of Mass- 
achusetts. He died in February, 1807, in his 
ninetieth year, in East Rupert, where he was 
the first settler. He kept the first tavern in 
that town, having formerly lived in Norwich, 
Coimecticut. L'pon first going to East Rup- 
ert, he went thirty miles from Bennington 
through a dense forest, and took the precau- 
tion to mark the trees. This was a wise step, 
as he was frequently obliged to go to mill 
at Bennington, on horseback, over the same 
route. 

Jonathan Eastman was the great-grandson 
of Roger Eastman, who was born in W'ales, in 
161 1. In 1638, he crossed the ocean on board 
the ship "Constance," sailing from Southamp- 
ton, England, of which John Jobson was mas- 
ter. Roger Eastman was the first of the 
family to come to America, and settled in 
Salisbury, Massachusetts. Captain Enoch 
Eastman, Le Grand's grandfather, was a hero 
of the Revolutionary ^^'ar; he fought at Ben- 



402 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



nington under General Stark. He died June 
23, 1829, in liis eighty-second year. Elijah 
Eastman, father of Le Grand, first saw 
the light of day, in Rupert, Vermont, on Feb- 
ruary 25, 1780. He was a most rugged man 
up to the time of his death. He was a great 
horseman, and a fine judge of horses. It was 
characteristic of the Eastman family that 
none was e\'er sick until the last illness. For 
an Eastman to he taken sick was his death 
knell. Elijah was one of fifteen children, all 
of whom grew to maturity, except one daugh- 
ter, who died in infancy. Thirteen of them 
married and reared families, — some, very large 
in number. Le Grand's uncle, Jonathan, was 
the only one who lived a life of celibacy. 
Elijah was the first of nine sons to die, his 
death occurring February 22, 1842, when he 
was sixty-two years old. One daughter died 
in the prime of life, and several lived to be 
from eighty to eighty-six years old. 

Elijah Eastman won for his life partner 
Charlotte Baldwin, of French .uicestry, their 
marriage occurring in 1805. She was a daugh- 
ter of Eleazer and Jemima (Crane) Baldwin, 
and was liorn in Horset, Bennington county, 
Vermont, in 1 7S4. Her death occurred on 
September 14, 1835. Two children were born 
to this union: Le (irand, the subject of this 
record ; and 1 )orson. 

Le Grand F.astm;ui has been a siieculator 
in live stock, all of his life, and in this wav 
h:is made a handsome conipetcnc\-. Since his 
eighteenth birthday, he has dealt in cattle, 
horses and sheep. He siient two \-ears at 
\\'arrenton, \'a., where he went in 1854. 



While there he dealt in sheep and had a fine 
stock horse, which he took to W'isconsin, and 
sold for $1,650. He remained seven years 
in Lancaster, Grant county, Wisconsin. 
At a later period, he purchased a farm 
in Kenosha, Wis., which he still owns. iTe 
li\ed there twenty-six years, and spent eleven 
winters with a cousin, in Plymouth, Wis. 
From there he went to the Green Bay district 
where he had great sport in fishing. He has 
dealt in fine Merino sheep, for some of which 
he has obtained five hundred dollars, per head. 

Mr. Eastman is absolutely an independent 
thinker. He belongs to no sect, church, or 
creed. He is bound by no party ties. His 
first vote was cast for Andrew Jackson. He 
has voted the Democratic ticket, except wlien 
voting for Lincoln and Grant. He has not 
performed manual labor for over fifty years, 
and has never used tea, cofTee, licjuor, or 
tobacco, in any form. He never married, and 
resides at Number 82, Church street, Rut- 
land, with his nephew, John E. Eastman, 
whose sketch is hereto appropriately ap- 
pended. 

John E. Eastman occupies the pleasant 
home which he built in 1888. He was born 
in East Rujjert, the only son of his parents, 
and was reared upon a farm. He was joined 
in marriage November 24, 1863, with Ellen 
J. Phelps, a daughter of Willis and Emma 
(Underliill) Phelps. Three children have been 
born to Mr. and Airs. Eastman. Two daugh- 
ters died in infancy. The only surviving child 
is George 1'., who was l)orn in Castleton, V't., 
February 17, 1876. 




|uHN M. f.OOnxOCGH, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



405 



John E. Eastman followed farming for 
many years, and was also a telegraph operator 
for some years at Castleton, Vt. He went to 
Rutland, in 1881, as clerk, being employed 
in the flour and feed store of S. P. Custis, who 
was the first coal dealer in Rutland. Mr. 
Eastman remained in his service, nine years. 
In November, 1891, he was disabled by a fall- 
ing elevator. Socially, he is a master Mason, 
and, politically, he has voted the Democratic 
ticket, except when supporting Lincoln and 
Grant. 



OHN M. GOODNOUGH, a retired 
farmer residing in Pittsford, Rutland 
count}', Vermont, is looked upon as one 
of the solid men of the town. He was born in 
Brandon, Vermont, March 30, 181 3, and se- 
cured a common school education, leaving 
iiome to undertake his own support, wdien 
eighteen years old. For some time lie worked 
as clerk in stores and hotels. His father, who 
was the proprietor of a country tavern, al- 
though not rich, was a good liver and paid 
his debts. For thirty years our subject was 
a wool buyer in Rutland and Addison coun- 
ties, working on commission. When the wool 
market dropped he began dealing in sheep, — 
he sold as high as 4,000 to one man. 

May 30, 1838, he married Sarah Ann Gor- 
ham, a native of West Rutland, who was then 
a young lady of nineteen. For several years 
the young folk occupied the Harwood farm, 
a part of which was once owned by Mrs. 
Goodnough's father. Upon this farm our sub- 



ject erected a neat and con\-enient house and 
other substantial buiklings. For more than 
si.xty years, this worthy couple traveled side 
by side, through the trials and vicissitudes of 
life. By energy, sagacity, and good manage- 
ment, they accumulated a handsome compe- 
tency. They settled in their present large and 
comfortable residence in Pittsford, twelve 
years ago, just after the house on the farm 
was burned, in 1887. Mr. Goodnough still 
has 1,000 sheep on his 500-acre farm. Mrs. 
Goodnough died March 20, 1899, aged eighty 
years. 

Our suljject lost one son, Irving B., and 
has a daughter living, — Grace. Irving B. 
Goodnough, who was a bright lad, full of 
promise, dietl when sixteen years and three 
months old. Grace Goodnough is now Mrs. 
Chas. Pinckney; she has lost one child and 
has one son and two daughters living. Those 
living are: Jessie, wife of Walter S. Hale; 
Grace, a student in New York Cit)- ; and John 
Irx'ing, a young man of twenty years. Ger- 
trude, born October 10, 1877, died April 7, 
1895. 

John M. Goodnough is a son of Willis and 
Lydia (Mott) Goodnough, and grandson of 
Timothy and Sally (Lincoln) Goodnough. 
Timothy or "Flint" Goodnough was born in 
Charlestown, Mass., where his entire life was 
spent. He wedded Sally Lincoln and reared 
six sons and six daughters. Among them 
were : Eliza, Asa, Daniel, Willis (subject's 
father), and Jonathan. Willis Goodnough 
was the fifth son. He was born March 25, 
1 78 1. While still a young man, he went to 



406 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Brandon. \'ermont. anrl located in tliat town. 
Jannary 25, 1802, he was joined in marriage 
witli Lydia Mott, a daughter of Deacon John 
Alott. Four children blessed their union, 
namely: Elijah, Daniel, Mary, and John M.. 
subject of this sketch. Elijah ])ur>uc(l the life 
of a farmer as his father did before him. and 
lived and died in the town of Brandon, Ver- 
mont. He had no children. His widow still 
sur\i\es him, aged ninety-two years. Daniel 
was also a farmer in Brandon. He died in 
1896, aged eighty-seven years, leaving one son 
and one daughter. Mary married Mr. Buell ; 
both arc now deceased. They left two sons 
anil two tlaughters. Willis Goodnough, our 
subject's father, died when seventy years of 
age, and his wife, Lydia, survived him five 
years, dying in 1855. 

( )nr subject is independent in politics, but 
generally \otes with the Repul)lican party. 
He has served as selectman, as postmaster, 
lister, etc. Mrs. Goodnough was a memljer 
of the Congregational church, but Mr. Good- 
nough h;is broad, liberal views on the subject 
of religidu. He believes in the "Golden Rule" 
and has charity fur all. We jirc^^ent a portrait 
of the subject of this sketch on a preceding 
page. 




.\RK LEWIS, a prominent farmer 
and stock raiser in East Poultney, 
Vermont, was born on the farm 
which is still his home, on November 21, 
1 83 1. His farm is one of the few in that re- 
gion, which have never passed into the pos- 



session of strangers. It is a fact of which Mr. 
Lewis is justly proud, that the old ancestral 
acres are still in his possession. The place 
was first settled, in 1771. by his great-grand- 
father. This farm contains about four hun- 
dred acres. It is really two farms united. 
.-\l)out one hundred and fifty acres are com- 
posed of woodland, and rocky ground. The 
original farm was increased by Mark Lewis, 
and by his father. 

]Mr. Lewis had a fair chance to obtain an 
education in the public schools, but was not 
an apt ])uiiil. When t\vent\'-two years old. lie 
left home to seek his fortune in the \\'est. He 
went as far as Peru, Illinois, where he re- 
mained two weeks. In that short time, he got 
enough of the West, and returned home. Sep- 
tember 13, 1855, he was joined in marriage 
with Sarah Jeannette Hosford, a former 
schoolmate. Mrs. Lewis is a daughter of 
Isaac W. and Sarah J. (Ransom) Hosford. 
She was born in February, 1832. Four chil- 
dren resulted from this union, namely : Charles 
S. ; George; Mary: and ]\Iabel. Charles S. 
reside,^ on a part of the homestead fru-m. lie 
married ^lartha E. Farwell, and has the fol- 
lowing children, viz. : Ernest E. ; Everett F. ; 
.•\rthur C. ; and A. Louise. George is un- 
married, and still under the parental roof. 
Mary was accidentally drowned in a cistern 
when six years of age, and Mabel died when 
three years old. 

Mr. Lewis is a natural mechanic, and has 
done some of his own building, — such as 
barns, outhouses, etc. He also built his own 
cheese factory and cider mill. He keeps from 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



407 



twenty-five to fifty head of cattle, and has six 
horses. For a number of years, he made a 
specialty of raising fine wool sheep, of choice 
Merino stock. Since 1880, he has gradually 
discontinued this branch of farming. 

The subject of this sketch is, politically, a 
stanch Republican. He served as selectman 
for fifteen consecutive years, and then re- 
signed. He is a son of Captain John and 
Rhoda (Fifield) Lewis, a grandson of John 
and Ann (Cleveland) Lewis, and a great- 
grandson of Josiah and Molly (Cole) Lewis. 

Josiah Lewis went from Connecticut to 
Poultney, Vermont, at an early date. He set- 
tled on the old military road, about one-half 
mile from Mark Lewis' home. He was a sol- 
dier in the Revolution. He participated in 
the battle of Hubbardton, and in the capture 
of Ticonderoga. For a time he was an aid 
on the staff of Colonel Brookins. He mar- 
ried Molly Cole, of Connecticut. She was 
one of the heroines of the Revolution. Dur- 
ing Burgoyne's invasion, with her first-born, 
a son, who was then her only child, she fled 
to a place of safety. For services she rendered 
the patriots in carrying news and otherwise, 
she received a land warrant for one hundred 
and sixty acres, and was given a farm adjoin- 
ing the home of Mark Lewis. 

Josiah Lewis died about the year 1800. He 
reared five sons and five daughters (and, prob- 
ably, more). John Lewis, Mark's grandfather, 
was born in Connecticut, and accompanied 
his parents to Poultney; he is supposed to 
have settled about two miles north of East 
Poultney. His union with Ann Cleveland 



resulted in the birth of eleven children, as 
follows : Polly ; Eliada ; Azuba ; .\lbert ; John, 
Jr., Mark's father: Anna; Aurelia ; Ezra; 
Josiah ; Hannah ; and Harry. Mark Lewis' 
grandfather .died in 1827, aged sixty-four 
years. 

John Lewis, Jr., or Captain John Lewis, as 
he was commonly called, was ushered into the 
world in 1792. He was born upon the home- 
stead farm, reared to farm labor, and spent 
his entire life upon this farm. He built a 
saw mill on the place. He was a prominent 
man in that section. He represented the town 
of Poultney in the legislature, in 1851, and 
frequently held town offices. He was twice 
married. His marriage with Polly Buckland 
resulted in three children, namely: Helen; 
Fanny B. ; and Carlisle. Some time after 
her death, Mr. Lewis formed a second mar- 
riage. He was united with Rhoda Fifield, 
who bore him six children, as follows: Hiram; 
Mark, the subject of these lines; Julius; 
Charlotte; Martha; and Mary. 

Hiram died in Poultney in November, 
1897. Two daughters and one son survived 
him. Julius was a volunteer in the Union 
army during the Civil war. He was first 
sergeant, and was killed at Charlestown, West 
Virginia, after having served nearly three 
years. He was unmarried. Charlotte was 
twice married. Her union with Rollin Mar- 
shall resulted in the birth of two daughters. 
She is now the wife of Eleazer Hayward, of 
Poultney. Martha is the widow of Henry 
A. Pond. 

Mark Lewis' mother was a native of Poult- 



408 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



nev. She was about seven years young;er 
than her husband. She lived to tlie good old 
age of seventy-five years. Her remains were 
liuried in Poultney by the side of her lius- 
band, who liad died, No\-eml)er 13. 1865. 
Mark Lewis' father was well and fa\-i)rably 
known. He was a captain in the militia. He 
added to the farm left him by his fatlier, and 
made a specialty of raising fine wool sheep. 
He was an influential man of his day, and 
was an able farmer. 



M 



R. C.\RROT,L B. ROSS* is recog- 



(^ I nizcd by all as the leading practi- 
tioner u{ West Rutland, Vermont, 
where he set up an office in 1886, and has since 
been acti\ely engaged in the practice of his 
niible profession. The Doctor enjoys not only 
a large office practice in town, but also has 
considerable practice in the surrounding coun- 
try; his handsome turnout drawn by two pow- 
erful horses inspires his possible patients with 
confiilcnce, for the_\- know when needed and 
sent for. he will reach them right speedily. 
Their confidence in both the promptness and 
skill of Dr. Ross, is well merited, and his suc- 
cess is richly deserved. 

Dr. Carroll B. Ross was born in Poultney, 
Rutland county, Augu.st 23, 1861. After re- 
ceiving a common school education, Carroll 
B. Ross took a preparatory course in the Troy 
Conference Academy, and afterwards gradu- 
ated at Middlebury College (\'ermont) in 
1882. He then attended Harvard University, 



from which he graduated in 1886, and received 
the title of M. D. The same year, he began 
the ]iractice of his chosen profession, building 
at that time his present convenient office. 
During the same year, his marriage occurred. 

Dr. Ross has been twice married. Novem- 
ber 17, 1886, he was united in marriage with 
Ada L. Dunton, a daughter of W. H. and 
Harriet ( Randall) Dunton. Mr. Dunton is 
now a resident of Center Rutland, having lost 
his beloved wife some time since. He had 
four children, namel\': Harriet, wife of Ed- 
ward Dana; Ada L., the Doctor's first wife, 
now deceased ; Alariam, wife of C. A. Simp- 
son : and William, who resides in Center Rut- 
land. The Doctor's first marriage resulted in 
the birth of two children. Paul D., born in 
1889; and Adelaide, born in 1891. Mrs. Ross 
was called away from her husband and her 
interesting familv, in 1892. at the early age of 
thirty-one years. In 1897, Dr. Ross again 
married, this time wedding Harriet Stewart, 
a daughter of W. H. Stewart, a retired chap- 
lain of the navy. Mrs. Ross was born in the 
slate of Massachusetts, and on November t. 
1898, she presented her husband with a little 
son, who bears the name of Stewart. Dr. 
Ross works hard for the success of the I\e- 
publican party. He believes in orthodox re- 
ligion. Socially, he is a Knight Templar, a 
Forester, and is a valued member of other 
beneficiary societies. 

The founder of the Ross family in Amer- 
ica was one Paul Ross, who w^as a native of 
Scotland, where his birth occurred in 1767. 
After attaining his majority, he determined tg 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



409 



seek a home in America, and accordingly set 
sail for the land of the free, in 1788. His mar- 
riage with Olive Moore, an attractive young 
lady, was celebrated during the voyage across 
the ocean. Arriving in America, the young 
couple settled in Derry, New Hampshire, 
where Mr. Ross followed farming. The 
young wde died in gi\'ing birth to her first 
child, lea\'ing a little son called Paul M., who 
was the grandfather of the subject hereof. 
The death of his beloved wife was such a blow 
to the stricken husband that he, too, died 
about a year afterward, leaving the little son 
entirely alone in the world. 

Paul M. Ross was born in Derry, New 
Hampshire, September 4, 1800. He was fos- 
tered by one Judge Reed, and at the age of 
eight years was bound out to a harness maker, 
which business he learned, and followed for 
many years. Upon reaching" manhood's estate, 
he settled in East Poultney, where he followed 
his trade, and it was there that his marriage 
occurred. He chose for his life partner, Char- 
lotte M. Dewey, whose family boasts of near 
relationship with Admiral Dewey, now so 
famous in the history of our country. This 
union resulted in the l)irth of but one child, 
Carroll B. Ross' father. The Dewey family 
were prosperous and influential people. Paul 
M. Ross in time became the owner of consid- 
erable property, and was the proprietor of 
the building in which tiie "Northern Spec- 
tator" was published. It was in that office 
that Horace Greeley served as printer's 
"devil," and was the butt of many a practical 
joke. Dr. Ross' grandmother took poor Hor- 



ace's part in more than one affair, but espe- 
cially did this happen when the men and boys 
about the printing office inked his tow head. 
Paul M. Ross was a man of influence in his 
community and held various town offices, also 
serving as postmaster. He died in 1870, while 
his widow survived him until 1898, when her 
death occurred at the age of ninety-three 
years. The remains of this worthv couple rest 
in the cemetery at East Poultney. 

Dr. L. D. Ross, father of the subject here- 
of, was born in Poultney, Vt.. on July 4, 1828. 
He was joined in marriage on his thirty-sec- 
ond birthday (July 4, i860), with Adeline A. 
Baldwin, an accomplished young lady of Bris- 
tol, Vermont. She is a daughter of Hiram and 
Roxana (Strongwood) Baldwin. Dr. L. D. 
Ross graduated from the Castleton Medical 
College. He was a volunteer surgeon in the 
Civil War, and was in service two years. He 
was a busy man in his profession, but found 
time to serve the town in educational matters, 
as superintendent of schools. In 1873, '^^ ^^'"^^ 
deprived of his nuich loved companion ; since 
then his daughter has ministered to his wants, 
and made home pleasant for him. The follow- 
ing children were born to him and his worthy 
wife, namely: Carroll B., subject of this 
sketch; Willis M., an attorney-at-law and real 
estate dealer, in Rutland : Anna D., a maiden 
lady, who is comforting her father's declining 
years: Lucretius H., a successful physician 
and surgeon, in Bennington, who graduated 
from Harxard University in 1898; Paul 
G., postmaster of Poultney, where he is also 
an attorney-at-law, has a wife and two chil- 



410 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



(Ircii ; and Cliarles L.. who is a druggist and 
expert pliarniacist of Hoosick l-'alls. New 
\nrk. 

Tlie subject of this skctcli is a iiard worker 
in his profession, and keeps himself posted in 
mcihcal science, in fact he is strictU' an up-to- 
(hue man in c\cr\- respect. 



■rr:^Ei;H]':.\ U. THR.M.L.- a worthy 
ll^ re])resentati\-e of tlie agricuUural class 
V— • of citizens of East Poultney, Rut- 
land county, \'ermont. resides upon his farm 
near Lake St. Catherine, and is engaged in 
dairying, — delivering his product to the con- 
sumers, at Poultney. His farm consists of 
one hundred and twenty acres, and is well 
stocked with cattle and horses, there heing 
always from h\e to ten horses of good grade. 
He is untiring in his industry, and his efforts 
has been attended by the greatest success. 
Mr. Thrall is a rare specimen of physical man- 
hood, standing si.x feet two and one half 
inches in height and weighing about two hun- 
dred .and thirt_\-fi\e ])Ounds. and before going 
to war, in which he receix'ed injuries, he pos- 
sessed almost Herculean strength. In politics, 
he is unswerving in his support of the Repub- 
lican party. Socially, he is a member of the 
(Jrand Army of the Republic, in which he is 
an active worker. 

Reulicn U. Thra]] was born in West Rut- 
land. \'ermont, January 6. 1838, and is a son 
of Luther and Laura (Chipman) Thrall, and 
a grandson of Jesse Thrall, a native of Rut- 



land. The latter's father for many years lived 
in Turkey Hill, Connecticut. 

Jesse Thrall was a well-to-do farmer and 
owned a farm in Rutland, and was an inn- 
keei)er in Castleton, being proprietor of the 
Mansion House. He was one of the early 
emigrants to Ohio, and tra\'elcd the entire 
way overland with his team and coverc<l 
wagon, as it was before the era of railroads. 
His son, I,uther, made three trips to Ohio, 
walking as far as P)Ulialo, X. \'.. where he 
took a schooner, and went the remainder of 
the way 1)\" l;ike. Jes.se Thrall settled in a 
sparseK' pojnilateil region, in which there were 
no defined ways of travel, other than by- 
blazed trees. He survived his wife some years 
and died in Circleville, Ohio, an octogena- 
rian. He was the father of four sons and one 
daughter. \iz. : Luther: Walter; Reuljen R. ; 
William P.: and Charlotte. Luther was the 
father of Reuljen R. Walter was a ])rominent 
lawyer of Columbus, Ohio; he was born in 
1794. and died in 1880. Reuben R., the mem- 
l)er of the family for whom the subject hereof 
was named, was a prosperous lawyer in Rut- 
land, \'t., and continued in active practice un- 
til his ninetieth year, spending the remain- 
ing years of his life in retirement. William 
B.. a journalist, was editor of the "'The Ohio 
State Journal." and was comptroller of the 
treasury of the state of Ohio. He was a ])rom- 
inent man in Masonic circles, and ser\-ed as 
grand master of the grand lodge of Ohio. 
Three of his sons served in the Cixil War. in 
which one lost his life, .\nother son, William 
R., was a surgeon in the Crimean War, and 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



411 



later a division surgeon in the United States 
army in the Department of the South. 
Charlotte, the youngest child born to Jesse 
Thrall and liis wife, married Guy W. Doane, 
an attorney-at-law of Circleville, Ohio, by 
whom she had a large family of children. 

Luther Thrall was born in Rutland, Vt., 
April 25, 1792, and, during the Civil War, 
was an enthusiastic Abolitionist, being most 
active in the underground transportation of 
colored refugees. He was united in marriage 
with Laura Chipman, who was born April 16, 
1803, and was a daughter of Stephen and 
Hannah (Stone) Chipman. She was a de- 
scenilant of Hope Howland, whose father was 
one of the surviving passengers of the May- 
flower. To this union were born three sons, 
the second of whom died in infanc}-. The 
others are: Stephen C, and Reuben R. 
Stephen C. was a college graduate, and an 
Episcopal clergyman, being a rector in Hav- 
erhill, Mass., Goshen, N. Y., and San Fran- 
cisco. He died at the age of sixty-one years, 
and was survived by one son and two daugh- 
ters. The father of the subject hereof died in 
1878. and was survived for twenty years by 
his widow, who laid down the burden of life, 
in 1898. 

Reuben R. Thrall obtained his primary ed- 
ucation in the public schools of Rutland, after 
which he took a course at Fort Edward Insti- 
tute. In 1861, he joined the Rutland Light 
Guards, and served three months under Cap- 
tain William Y. \\'. Ripley. After a four 
months' absence from home, he re-enlisted in 
the same company, which went out with the 



I2th Reg., Vermont Vol. Infantry. He served 
.as sergeant, for a period of nine months. 

November 15, 1866, Mary E. Clark, of 
Poultney, became the wife of the subject 
hereof; she is a daughter of Reuben E. and 
Sarah (Baker) Clark. This union has been 
blessed by the birth of six children, namely: 
Guy Clark, who was born January 26, 1869, 
and resides upon the farm with his father; 
Albert Gray, who was jjorn February 2, 1871, 
and died September 6, 1897; Francis Chip- 
man, who was born July 26, 1874, and is a 
clothing salesman in the R. H. White store 
in Boston, Mass. ; Luther G., who was born 
in June, 1876, and married Elsie Farr, on 
April 26, 1896; Charlotte, who graduated 
from the Poultney graded schools at the age 
of sixteen years ; and Charles, who died at the 
early age of seven months. 

Mr. and Mrs. Thrall and family worship at 
the Episcopal church in Poultney, and are 
liberal contributors to worthy charitable insti- 
tutions. 



OHN W. BLANCHARD,* a leading 
ice-dealer of Rutland, has been a mem- 
ber of the police force of that city one 
year. He established his ice business in 1894, 
and puts up from ten to fifteen tons of fine 
spring brook ice. He dehvers daily to his city 
customers, keeping two double teams running 
constantly. Mr. Blanchard is a Mason of 
the Red Cross of Constantine. In politics, he 
is a Republican and represented the town of 
Chittenden in the State Legislature in 1894. 



412 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



He has also held other town offices. He settled 
in his large and pleasant home at Number 
197. North Main street, in August, 1895. 

Our subject was born in Savoy, Mass., April 
7, 185 1. His father and grandfather were 
natives of that ])lace. He is a son of William 
J. and Judith (Wing) Blanchard and grand- 
son of Hiram Blanchard. Our subject's par- 
ents were married when the bride was only 
fourteen years old, and they were given three 
sons and thr'ee daughters. One daughter 
died in infancy. One son. Nelson A., died 
when tliirty-four years old, leax'ing a wife and 
three children. Our subject's father was a 
preacher of the Second Ad\-ent church and 
was also a physician. He was born June 14, 
1830, and died in Manchester, A't., in De- 
cember, 1H97. Our sul>ject's mother is still 
living: she resides with her daughter Ida, 
wife of Albert Billadeaux. in Rutland. Jennie, 
another daughter, is the wife of \\ arren Hun- 
ton, of Rutland. 

John W. Blanchard is ne.xt to the youngest 
child of the faniil\- and had a common school- 
ing. In 1868, he accomijanied his ])arents 
from Massachusetts to Bennington, \'t., 
where the}' continued to live for about eight 
years and then moved to Chittenden. In .Aug- 
ust, 1895, om- subject went to Rutland. Prior 
to going to Rutland, he was engaged in lum- 
bering. Before his twenty-first birth(l;i\- 
however, he became a benedict. Flora liaird, 
of Chittenden, \'t., becoming his wife. She 
is a daughter of Rufus and Phoebe (Hibbard) 
Baird. Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard lost an in- 
fant daughter and still have five children liv- 



ing. Those li\-ing are: Rufus, aged sixteen 
years; Gelda Belle, aged eleven; Millard Fill- 
more, a robust boy of nine years; John \\'., 
aged five years; and Florence, a babe of one 
year. 

.Mr. Blanchard possesses good business 
ability and enjoys a fair jKitronage. lie is 
genial, good-natured, ;uid obliging, and has 
manv friends. 




RS. LOVIX.V IIFWITT,* widow of 
Seth H. Hewitt, deceased, enjoys 
the distinction of being one of 
the oldest ladies in Pittsford, Rutland countv, 
X'ermont, where she resides upon her fine farm 
of one hundred ;ui(l thirtx' acres. Mrs. Hewitt 
was born in the town of I'ittsford. near Proc- 
tor, \'ermont, July Ji. 18 u. She is a daugh- 
ter of Robert and Ruth (.Miller) Loveland. 
Her father was l:)orn in Ilartfortl, Connecticut, 
March 19, 1765, and her mother, nine years 
later. They were married at ( ilastonburv, 
Connecticut, in 1791. Their first child, Ruth 
Miller Loveland. was born July 3, 179-'. The 
rest of their thirteen children were born on 
their farm in Pittsford, one mile north of 
Proctor. This was the farm u])on which Mrs. 
Hewitt's parents settled in their earlv mar- 
ried life, and was the first farm settled in 
Pittsford. 

Mr. and Mr''. T.o\eland were in humble cir- 
cumstances, but by iiidustrv and economv 
accjuired considerable means. Their four sons 
and nine daughters all reached adult life. They 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



413 



married, with the exception of one daughter, 
Lozina, who was a twin sister of the subject 
hereof. Siie died upon tlie okl home farm, 
in 1894. Another daugiiter, Phylinda, mar- 
ried William \\'heeler. She died February 21, 
1899, at the extreme old age of one hundred 
and one years, and six months. More than 
fifty grandchildren resulted from the union of 
Mr. and Mrs. Loveland, forty-seven of whom 
grew to manhood and womanhood. Mr. 
Loveland was a public spirited man, and held 
various town offices. He died May 13, 1856; 
he was preceded to the grave by his wife, who 
died March 18, 1846. Their remains rest in 
the Pittsford cemetery. They were devout 
members of the Congregational church. 

Mrs. Hewitt and her younger sister. Tem- 
perance, are now the only survivors of this 
large family, which is particularly noted for 
longevity. Temperance is now the widow 
Butterfield. She resides in San Jose, Cali- 
fornia, where her son teaches school, and her 
daughter teaches music. In February, 1838, 
the subject hereof was joined in marriage with 
Seth H. Hewitt. 

Mr. Hewitt was Ijorn April 21, 181 1, on 
the farm where I\Irs. Hewitt still resides, in a 
log house which was the first dwelling in 
which his parents settled. He was a son of 
James and Phoebe (Mead) Hewitt. His father 
was a native of Stonington, Conn., where he 
was born February 23, 1771. His mother was 
born in Rutland, February 13, 1774. They 
were the parents of twelve children, nine of 
whom grew to maturity and married. James 
Hewitt died April 8, 1858, and liad previously 



buried his beloved wife, August 8, 1855. They 
rest in the old cemetery at Pittsford. After 
marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt settled upon 
the farm where the latter still lives. It then 
contained two hundred acres. Four children 
were born to them. One son, Francis, died at 
the age of one year. The others are Sarah G., 
the first born, a maiden lady, still at home 
with her mother; Ruth, wife of Milton Lan- 
don, a farmer near by the old home; and 
Josephine, a successful milliner in Brandon. 

Mr. Hewitt was a cjuiet, industrious farmer 
and carried on general farming very success- 
fully. Mrs. Hewitt still enjoys good health, 
and retains possession of all her faculties. She 
is a member of the Pittsford Congregational 
church. 



7^ LARENCE H. MURDICK,* of the 
I J] firm of Murdick & Parkhurst, leading 
^ ' grocers of the city of Rutland, Ver- 
mont, has been engaged in the grocery busi- 
ness since 1890, when he became an active 
member of the firm of Burr & Murdick at 
Numbers 39 and 41, Center street, Rutland. 
The partnership then formed existed for three 
years, at the close of which Mr. Burr retired 
from the grocery business and removed to 
New York City, — engaging in the real estate 
business. His interest in the grocery store 
was purchased by Mr. Parkhurst, who is still 
a member of the firm. These gentlemen have 
been doing a large and constantly increasing 
business until now their establishment is re- 
garded by many as the leading grocery house 



414 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



in Rutland. The firm also conducts a branch 
store at Numljer i. West street, which is 
placed in charge of the fathers of Mr. Mur- 
dick and Mr. Parkhurst, respectively. The 
entire force connected with the concern num- 
bers eight, including the bookkeeper, the 
members of the firm, and their fathers, each 
of whom is a practical and hard working man. 
Although the heads of the firm are young 
men, they have met with gratifying success, 
considering the short period they have been 
in trade. 

Murdick & Parkhurst's principal store is 
situated in a fine, double, stone structure, 
where they carry a full stock of staple and 
fancy groceries and provisions. The branch 
store, on the corner of West and North Main 
streets, is one of the old landmarks of Rut- 
land. It is an old fashioned, brick building 
with low ceiling, and heavy timbers hewn and 
encased, at least a century ago. In this store 
is carried a complete stock of groceries and 
provisions, together with fiour, feed, hay, 
straw, and grain. 

Clarence II. Murdick was born in the vil- 
lage of Mendon, Rutland county, May 2"], 
1866. He is a son of Wallace J. and Harriet 
E. (Nichols) Murdick, and a grandson of 
Leonard H. and Elizabeth (Turner) Murdick. 

Leonard II. Munlick was born in New 
Haven, Addison county, Vt., about the year 
1797. He was joined in matrimony with Eliz- 
abeth Turner, who was born October 15, 
1815. They reared a family of eight children, 
six sons and two daughters, of whom four are 
still living. Leonard H. Murdick was a me- 



chanic, and operator, in a woolen mill. In 
1850, he was seized with the gold fever antl 
went to California, where he died in Placer- 
ville, October 27, 1850. His remains still rest 
there, while his widow was Ijuried in Xew 
Haven, Vermont, where she died Januarv 21. 
1873. twenty-three years after her husband's 
demise. 

Wallace J. Murdick, father of Clarence 
H., was born in New Haven, Addison 
county, \'t., June 18. 1830. During many 
years, he was engaged as a mechanic in saw 
mills, box factories, etc. On the twentieth 
day of October, 1855, he was joined in mar- 
riage with Harriet E. Nichols, of Cavendish, 
Vermont. Mrs. Murdick is a daughter of 
Amasa and Alvira (Gilmore) Nichols. Mr. 
and Mrs. Murdick have only two children, 
one daughter, and one son, the latter the sub- 
ject of this brief sketch. 

Clarence H. Murdick was reared on his 
father's farm in the town of Mendon, \'t., 
where he remained until sixteen years of age, 
receiving a practical, but common school, edu- 
cation. His next two years were spent in 
farm work, after which young Murdick en- 
tered the employ of the Rutland Cracker Co., 
working in the city for one year. He subse- 
quently became traveling salesman for Thom- 
as J. Lyon, who was engaged in the cracker 
and bakery business. After ser\'ing thus for 
five and a half years, Mr. Murdick relin- 
quished this position and at once engaged in 
the grocery business, in Rutland. June 28, 
1893, he led to the hymeneal altar, Emma 
Pierce, an accomplished young lady, of Rut- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



415 



land. ]\Irs. Murdick is a daughter of Nathan 
and Susan ( Edson) Pierce. Mr. Pierce is de- 
ceased, while his widow resides in Rutland, 
with her three children. Mr. Pierce was, dur- 
ing his life, one of the leading merchants in 
Rutland, dealing in dry goods and general 
merchandise. He was also engaged in the 
marble business, which is one of the leading- 
industries of the \'icinity. 

The subject of this sketch and his most 
worthy wife have two children, Philip Pierce, 
aged four years, and Robert W'., aged two 
and one half years. Mr. and Mrs. Murdick 
reside in a comfortable home at Number lo, 
Nichols street. They are willing workers in 
the Baptist church, and are responsive to char- 
itable appeals. Mr. Murdick is a Republi- 
can, in his political relations. He is a man 
whose business ai:)ility ami enterprise indi- 
cate that he is bound to succeed. 




.\RVIN A. McCLURE.* Of the 



prominent citizens of Rutland 
countv, the gentleman whose 
name is prefixed to this sketch has a credit- 
able and enviable standing. He is a man of 
recognized business talent, as is evinced from 
his rise from humble beginnings, and he has 
placed himself in the front rank among the 
business men of Rutland, Vt., where he re- 
sides, and where his dealings have made a 
host of acquaintances, and caused him to be- 
come, socially, a person of importance. May 
I, 1892, Mr. McClure opened a music store 



on Center street in Rutland, and in 1895 
added to the first another large store room, 
sixty-seven by sixty-nine feet, where he carries 
a full line of pianos, organs, and all kinds of 
small musical instruments, sheet music, etc. 
Mr. McClure is general agent for Hazelton 
Brothers, McPhail, Conover, Schubert, Som- 
mer. and Gibson pianos, and also handles 
Wilcox & White and Chicago Cottage organs, 
together with a complete line of sheet music 
and musical merchandise. Mr. McClure has 
the state agency of four standard pianos, and 
has five men on the road while he himself 
is busily engaged looking after their work. 
His principal field is New England and East- 
ern New York. 

Marvin A. McClure was born in Middle- 
town, Rutland county, Vermont, May 30, 
1857. He is a son of Harry B. and Susan (Ma- 
loney) McClure, a grandson of Samuel and 
Sarah (Arnold) McClure, a great-grandson of 
James and Patty (McClaren) McClure. James 
McClure was a native of Scotland, and upon 
coming to America, settled first in Norwich, 
Connecticut. At a later period, he followed 
farming in Middletown, Vermont, where both 
he and his wife sleep their final sleep. He 
married Patty McClaren, who was born in 
Scotland, as her father was, and came to 
America with his family. 

Samuel McClure, Marvin A.'s grandfather, 
was born in Connecticut, and, accompanied 
bv his parents, removed to Middletown, Vt., 
about the year 1800. He died about the year 
1840 and was a worthy and substantial 
New England farmer, who lived about a mile 



416 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and a half south of the village. Samuel Mc- 
Clure. after his marriage with Sarah Arnold, 
continufd to cultivate the farm, and they 
reared nine of tl^eir ten children, six sons and 
three daughters; of these children, all are de- 
ceased except one son and one daughter. 

Harry B. McClure, father of the subject 
hereof, was born in Middletown, Decem- 
ber 31, 1814. He was a mechanic, and in con- 
nection with farming conducted a wagon 
shop. He was not only a good wagon maker 
and an expert mech.-uiic, I)ut could do a fine 
piece of cabinet work, and made many cof- 
fins. In those days coffins were made to 
order, according to measure, and were not 
kept in stock as they are at the present time. 
Harry B. McClure was a worthy member of 
the Baptist church, as were most of the Mc- 
Clure family. He was joined in matrimony 
with Susan Maloney, a charming lady of Mid- 
dletown; Mrs. McClure was born in 1816. 
After the marriage the young folk continued 
to reside in Middletown until about 1869, 
when they removed to Spencerport, Monroe 
county, New York, where Mr. McClure con- 
ducted a fifty-acre fruit farm. He was an in- 
fluential citizen in Middletown, though not a 
man of wealth, nor a seeker of political dis- 
tinction. Both he and his wife died at Spen- 
cerport. ^Irs. McClure's death took jjlace in 
1880, at the age of sixty-four years, and her 
husband survived her until 1888, when he 
died aged seventy-four years. They were the 
parents of the following children : Henry W., 
a commercial traveler, residing in Rutland, 
where he has a wife and five children; Charles 



W., a mechanic in Middletown, where he has 
a wife and two sons; George W., a prosperous 
dry goods merchant in Boulder, Colorado, 
who has two sons and one daughter, but, un- 
fortunately, was deprived of his belo\-ed wife; 
Sannicl .\., who has been a letter carrier in 
Rutland for twelve years, and who is still un- 
married ; Emmet C, who died in Rutland, 
September 15, 1898, leaving a widow and one 
young daughter; and Marvin .\., the sub- 
ject of this sketch. 

Mar\in A. McChu'c was reareil to farm life 
and ojjtained only a common school educa- 
tion. At sex'enteen years of age, he left the 
farm and his home in Western New York, 
and went to Rutland, in 1874. There he en- 
tered the eni])lo}' of J. B. Meeker, the music 
dealer, working in the capacit\' of clerk. Eight 
months later found him so homesick that he 
returned home, where he remained on the 
farm during summers, and worked in a doc- 
tor's office during winter, reading medicine. 
This was carried on for two or three years. 
In March. 1877. Mr. McClure returned to 
Rutland, entering the employ of McClure & 
Hall, who were music dealers, being indirectly 
the successors of the firm with whom our sub- 
ject was lirsl employed. 

Mr. McClure had charge of the office and 
l)ooks and also acted as salesman w hen neces- 
sary and not t)therwise engaged ; he re- 
mained with the firm of McClure & Hall for 
nine months ; he then purchased ^Ir. Hall's 
interest in the business, and the McClure 
Brothers were the proprietors of the music 
store until 1887, when reverses came, and the 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



417 



firm went out of business. Mr. JvIcClure and 
his brother continued to tune and repair 
pianos and organs, and went on the road for a 
number of years, working in that capacity. At 
a later period Marvin A. McClure, our subject, 
entered the employ of the Estey Organ Co., 
conducting their business of selling organs 
and pianos, and also handling a line of small 
musical instruments. After remaining in 
their employ about four years, he became a 
traveling salesman for Cluett & Sons, musical 
dealers of Troy, N. Y. He was with them 
less than a year, and then opened his present 
store in Rutland. 

October 8, 1879, Mr. McClure was joined 
in marriage with Lottie E. Day, a belle 
of Spencerport, New York. Lottie was a 
schoolmate of her husband, in former years, 

and was a daughter of Samuel H. and 

(Davis) Day. Lottie's mother died and her 
father took unto himself another wife, another 
Miss Davis, who was a sister of his former 
wife. He had four daughters, all children of 
his former wife. To the subject hereof and his 
wife have been l)orn tlie following children : 
Susie ; Harold ; Ernest ; Florence ; and Alice 
Bertha. Susie, Harold, and Ernest died in in- 
fancy. Florence, their fourth child, who died 
March 21, 1897, aged fourteen years, was 
a most interesting daughter, and a child of 
promise. The immediate cause of her death 
was typhoid fever. Alice Bertha was born 
January 21, 1887, and is now a promising 
child of twelve years, mature for her age. 

Mr. McClure is a master Mason, of the Rut- 
land lodge. He is also a member of the L O. 



O. F. lodge, the Knights of Pythias, the 
Elks, and Royal Arcanum. In politics, he is 
a Republican, but never sought ofiice. The 
subject of this sketch resides in a pleasant 
home at Number 55, Church street, where he 
settled in 1894; he attends divine services at 
the Congregational church, of which he is a 
member. 



OYLBert n. gee 

fen tion of being th 
v^^villase of Hvc 



GEBO* enjoys the distinc- 
the only merchant in the 
Hydeville, Rutland county, 
Vermont. Mr. Gebo is a prosperous business 
man who moved to Hydeville, nine years ago, 
and purchased the stock and trade of Bolger 
Brothers, general merchants of that place. 
Mr. Gebo was born in Canton, St. Lawrence 
county, N. Y., October 4, 1854. He is a son 
of Peter and Maria (Paige) Gebo, respected 
residents of Canada. His father was born in 
Canada, May 2, 1812. His mother was born 
one day later, but died May i, 1897, while her 
companion survived her until May 17, 1898. 

]\Ir. Gebo's maternal grandfather was Tef- 
field Paige, from France, whose wife was of 
English descent. They were married at Niag- 
ara Falls, New York. At a later period, they 
went to Canada, where some of their children 
were born. They subsequently removed to 
Canton, New York. Mr. Paige was a man of 
considerable means, and was a speculator. 
Mr. Gebo was the youngest of eieht children, 
four boys and four girls. Their names are: 
Peter : Jane ; Delia ; Nelson ; Theodore ; Ade- 
line ; Maria ; and Albert N., the subject hereof. 



418 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Peter died in 1879, in Peshtigo, Wis., aged 
forty-three years, leaving a family. He was 
a volunteer in the Union army during the 
Civil War. He enlisted in Company A, 60th 
Reg., N. Y. \'ol. Infantry, and served three 
years. He then re-enlisted, and served muil 
mustered out at the close of the war. Jane 
married William Perry and died at Canton, 
when thirty years old, leaving two children. 
Delia married a brother of William Perry. She 
died in Canton and also left two children. 
Nelson was also a volunteer in the Ci\il War. 
He died at twenty-three years of age, in the 
hospital at Newport News, where he fills a 
soldier's grave. He was a corporal of Com- 
pany I, 92nd Reg., New York Vol. Infantry. 
He became sick at Richmond swamp, and died 
from disease. Theodore was in the same coni- 
panv, and died a, short time after his brother. 
He was twenty-one years old. Adeline died 
in Potsdam, N. Y., aged twenty-six years. 
Maria died at the same place at twenty-two 
years of age. 

Alliert N. Gebo's father was a farmer. The 
subject of this sketch remained at home, on 
his father's farm, until he attained the age of 
twenty years. He received only a limited ed- 
ucation. He began a mercantile career at 
twenty-one years of age, by engaging as a 
clerk in Nick Lowell's store at Norwood, New 
York. He was a salesman there, for live years. 
When twenty-six years old, he became a bene- 
dict. October 1 1, 1880, he was joined in wed- 
lock with Helen Payette, an attractive young 
lady of Plattsburg. Mrs. Gebo is a daughter 
of Theophilus Payette. After marriage, Mr. 



Gebo was in the furniture business, in Nor- 
wood, from 1 88 1 to 1891, when he went to 
Hydeville. 

Mr. and Mrs. (jebo ha\e one child, Cora, 
who is now a young lady, still at home. She 
is quite an accomplished pianist. Mr. Gebo 
votes a straight Republican ticket. He is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity. The sub- 
ject of this sketch possesses good business 
ability, and enjoys a fair patronage. He keeps 
a nice, clean, fresh stock of groceries and gen- 
eral merchandise, in a well arranged store. 



TT^HARLES F. THOMAS,* a rising 
I jy }'oung business man of Rutland, \'er- 

^*" 'mont. where he is successfully en- 
gaged in the drug lousiness, is a member of 
the firm of Miner & Thomas, druggists ami 
pharmacists at Number 43. ^Merchants' Row. 
He was born in Plattsburg, New York, Octo- 
ber 18. 1864, and after receiving his primarx 
education in the ])ub]ic schools of his native 
city, took a thorough course in the Plattsliurg 
High School, graduating with honors, at the 
age of eighteen years. He immediately en- 
tered the drug store of Walter Gilbert, of 
Plattsburg, with whom he remained as clerk 
for six vears. lie then attended the school of 
pharmac\'. at .Mbanv. New \()rk, graduating 
therefrom Marcli 17. 1870. 

In March, 1894, Mr. Thomas ]iurchascd 
the interest of T. B. Atchison, and entered 
into partnershi]) witli L. A. Miner, with a 
half interest in the business. The partnership 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



419 



then formed still exists, and the firm of Miner 
& Thomas does the main pliarmacy and drng 
business in Rutland. October 14, 1891, Mr. 
Thomas married Helen Blanch Guibord, a 
young lady of Plattsburg. Mrs. Thomas is of 
French descent. Her father is Henry W. Gui- 
bord, a prosperous grocery merchant, in 
Plattsburg, and her family stands high in both 
business and social circles. Her father's 
brother is a bank cashier and helps sus- 
tain the name and dignity of this old 
and honorable family. Mrs. Thomas' 
mother was one of thirteen children, of whom 
four sons and five daughters are still liv- 
ing. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas was born 
one son, Raymond Franklin. He is a bright, 
lively boy, born August 23, 1896, and is a 
perfect picture of health and happiness. It is 
needless to say that this precocious little fel- 
low is not only a constant revelation and de- 
light to his parents, but attracts the admira- 
tion of all who see him. In 1896, Mr. Thomas 
built his beautiful home at Number 21, East 
Central street, where lie is most pleasantly sit- 
uated, and is most devoted and happy, in his 
domestic life. 

Charles F. Thomas is a son of Charles 
Thomas who was born about 1834, either in 
Canada or in Clinton county. New York. His 
grandfather \\as a millwright, and also a con- 
tractor and builder, in the New England 
States, Canada and Northern New York, 
where he constructed both saw and grist mills. 
He wedded Sarah Cromley, — their marriage 
occurred in Canada. Sarah was a native of the 
old countrv, a descendant of the French Hu- 



guenots. This worthy couple reared three 
sons and two daughters. The sons are : James, 
who resides in the West, where he is a man 
of property and business ; Charles, father of 
the subject hereof; and Doras, who resides 
in Plattsburg, New York, and is a prominent 
contractor and Iniikler. 

Charles E. Thomas is one of five children, 
the others being James Edward ; Agnes Fran- 
ces ; Margaret ; and Harvey. James Edward 
is a stationary locomotive engineer, residing 
in Plattsburg. He is a widower with one son. 
Agnes Frances graduated from the Plattsburg 
High School, and is now a successful dress- 
maker in Plattsburg. Margaret also gradu- 
ated from the Plattsburg High School and is 
now successfully engaged in teaching. She is 
also a graduate of the Potsdam Normal 
School. Harvey is a bookkeeper in Boston, 
in the employ of the wholesale dru9"-house of 
^^'est & Jennings. Mr. Thomas is a Thirty- 
second degree Mason, being a member of the 
blue lodge, of Rutland, of the Chapter, of 
the Knight Templars, and of the Scottish 
Rites. He is also a charter member of Rut- 
land Lodge, No. 345, B. P. O. Elks, and was 
one of the organizers of that lodge. It was 
instituted aljout three years ago and now en- 
rolls a rtiembership of more than one hundred 
of the best business men in Rutland. Their 
club rooms, which are located in the Rutland 
Bank Building, are the finest in the city, and, 
some say, in the state. 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are active members 
of the Congregational church, and contribute 
freely to its support. The business relations 



420 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



of the suliject of this sketcli are the pleasant- 
est, and the leading position he holds in busi- 
ness circles, comes as a direct result of the 
system and care with which he watches every 
detail. 



I^|()P.F.RT JONES,* a retired quarry- 
man, has been a resident of Hvdeville, 
Rutland county, Vermont, for tliir- 



widow lady, w ith one daughter. This daugh- 
ter, whose name is Estella. is the wife of John 
\\'. Flagler, of Brooklyn, New York. Mrs. 
Jones is a daughter of Roswell and Mary 
(Linfield) Tlutchiiis. Her mother was a na- 
tive of Minerva, N. Y., and her father, of 
Boston. After marriage they settled in Win- 
chester, N. H., where both died. Mr. Hutch- 
ins died at the age of sixty years, leaving his 
widow with six children, namely: William; 
John ; iumice ; Clarissa ; Marv ; and Olivet 



ty-five \cars. He is a nati\e of Wales, and is 

a .son of William and Elizabeth (Jones) Jones, I (Robert Jones' wife). William died in 1879, 

both nati\es of Wales, where they spent their leaving a widow. John resides in Winchester. 



entire li\es. When twenty-five years of age, 
accomjianied l)y his wife and one child, Rob- 
ert Jones crossed the ocean to seek ;i home in 
America. He located in Fair Haven. \'l.. in 
June. 1S53. nearly fort\-seven years ago. He 



Eunice married Amos Tufts. She died at 
thirty-seven years of age, leaving four chil- 
dren. Clarissa married Lott Ripley. She ilied 
in 1895. aged sevent_\-two )-ears. Mary mar- 
ried Lorenz .\twood, and resides in Charles- 



is a slate quarryman, and was brought up to ; town. New Hamj^shire. She has three chil- 
dren. The ])arents of these children were 
prosperous and thrifty farmers. 

Mrs. Jones obtained a good education, be- 



this business. Mr. Jones has been twice mar- 
ried. His first wife die<l in Iiyde\ille. in the 
fall of 1895. She was a most faithful com- 
]ianion and assisted the subject hereof to make 
wliat he lias in the wav of worldh' goods. She 
was economical, and ;i good manager in 
household affairs. She was the mother of 
ti\e children, three of whom are still living, 
namely: Henry Jones, who resides in Wash- 
ington county, X. ^'., with his family: Wini- 
fred, wife of Robert Davis, of h'air Flaven ; 



ing a high school graduate. She was united 
in marriage with Joseph Wilson. .\lr. \^'il- 
son was a hardware merchant in W inchester, 
at that time, but remo\-ed to Rutl;ui(l. in 1858, 
and in i8C)i, located in Hydeville. He re- 
mained in the hardware business until his 
liealth failed. The last fifteen years of his 
life were s])ent in retirement. He was a mas- 



and William Jones, of Fair Ha\-en, where the ter Mason: he died March 14, 1887. aged six- 
Jones family have slate (piarries. in which both ty-one years. Mrs. Jones has not lost her 



lie and his father are interested. 

In the fall of 1896. Mr. Jones contracted a 
second matrimonial alliance. .\t that time, 
he was imiled with ]\lrs. ( )livet Wilson, a 



charms. She has always enjoyed the best of 
health, and is a remarkably well preserved and 
youthful appearing lady, for her years. 
Mr. Jones made his first visit to Wales dur- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



421 



ing tlie summer of 1898, \Yhen he and Mrs. 
Jones took a pleasant journey. They enjoyed 
the voyage, but Mr. Jones does not care to 
return there permanently, having prospered 
greatly in the land of his adoption. 




P^RS. FANNY B. WOOD,* a well- 
to-do and influential lady of Fair 
Haven, Rutland county, Ver- 
mont, has been a resident of that flourishing 
_ village, for a quarter of a century. For 
twenty-two years, she has lived in her pres- 
ent comfortable home at Number 63, Pros- 
pect street. Mrs. Wood is the youngest 
daughter of John and Polly (Buckland) 
Lewis. 

John Lewis was born in the town of Poult- 
ney, Vermont ; after reaching manhood, he 
attained considerable prominence in that vi- 
cinity. He served several terms in the legis- 
lature. Ide was twice married. His first 
union was contracted wth the mother of the 
subject hereof, who bore him the following 
two daughters and one son : Ellen ; Fanny, 
the subject hereof; and Carlisle. Ellen mar- 
ried Bingham \\ illiams, of Charlotte, Ver- 
mont. She died when only twenty-eight years 
of age, leaving two sons. Carlisle was a pro- 
gressive farmer near Charlotte, Vermont. He 
died when sixty-eight years of age, leaving 
five sons and three daughters. The beloved 
mother of the subject hereof laid down the 
burden of life when fifty-four years of age. 
Some time afterward, Mr. Lewis again mar- 



ried. Rlioda Fifield became his wife, and bore 
him five children. Three are still living, 
namely : ^f ark. Charlotte, and Martha. Mark 
resides in the town of Poultney, as does also 
Charlotte, who is now a Mrs. Hayward. 
Martha is the widow of the late Henry Pond. 
Julius Lewis, half brother of the subject 
hereof, was a soldier in the Civil War. Just 
two weeks before his term of service was to 
exjiire, he was shot through the heart. His 
untimely death took place in his twenty-eighth 
year. His remains were brought back to 
Poultney, where they were buried with ap- 
propriate ceremonies. 

The father of the subject of this sketch died 
in 1886, when seventy-four years old. ]\Irs. 
Fanny B. Wood was the recipient of a good 
education, and followed the profession of 
teaching, for some years. She was twice mar- 
ried. Her first marriage took place in 1843, 
when she was twenty-three years old. At that 
time she became the wife of Nelson Ransom, a 
prosperous dry goods merchant of Poultney, 
Vermont, his native place. Mr. Ransom was 
not only a prominent and successful business 
man, but was also a faithful public servant. 
He served as assessor and collector for seven 
towns of Rutland county. He was a Thirty- 
second degree Mason, and, was master of the 
Morning Star Lodge in Poultney. He was a 
fine appearing man, and was refined and intel- 
ligent. I , 4 

Some years after the death of her first hus- 
band, the sul)ject hereof contracted a second 
matrimonial alliance. She was joined in mar- 
riage with Fayette Wood. Mr. Wood was a 



422 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



native of Fair Haven. He was a son of Sam- 
uel \\'oo(l. a car])enter. and resident of Fair 
Haven. Mr. Wood died at his residence on 
Prospect street. August jj. 1887. after many 
years of connubial bliss. At the time of his 
demise, he was si.\ty-four years of age. 

Mrs. \\'()(id is s])ending the sunset of life 
surrounded by every ])Ossilile comfort. Her 
many virtues of heart and mind have endeared 
her to relatives and neishbors, alike. 



V^/^HJJAM X. GK.\^^* 
Y^y/ farmer, resides on his 



a retired 
splendid 
eighty-acre farm at Middletown 
Si)rings, Vermont. This village is his birth- 
]ilace. He was born September 14, 1819. and 
is now nearly four score years old. Mr. Gray 
was reared on a farm, and had but meager 
schooling, or book learning. His father was 
"all business." and brought his boys up to 
work. William N. remained at home and 
shared the connnon fortunes of the family, 
until he attained his thirty-sixth year. 

May 24. 1843. '1*-' ^\'''s joined in marriage 
with Mary \\'. Sawyer. The Sawyers origi- 
nally came from Connecticut. Mary was a 
daughter of Noah W. and Olive (Barker) 
Sawyer. She was born in Tinmouth Ver- 
mont, March 27, 1821. Her father was a 
prosperous merchant of that place, aiul was a 
man of prominence. He served in the legisla- 
ture, and held other offices. He reared four 
daughters, and lost one son, an infant. After 
the death of his first wife, Mr. Sawyer again 



married. In this instance he married Char- 
ity W. Clark, a <laughter of Dr. Clark. This, 
second, union resulted in the birth of one 
daughter, Emily, who is now the widow Rice, 
of Niagara Falls, New York. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gray began housekeeping in 
the old house where ]\Ir. Graj- was born, and 
where, also, his first two children were born. 
In 1873, '■'^ purchased his present farm, pay- 
ing cash for it, all of which he made by his 
own efforts, after giving the proceeds of many 
years of his life after his majority, to his father. 
Innnediately after purchasing this farm, he 
removed there with his family. He sustained 
a sad and irreparable loss in the death of his 
worthy wife, June 18. 1899. when she was 
se\'enty-eight years old. 

Four children were born to Mr. ;uid Airs. 
Gray, namely: 01i\e N. ; Mary '!'. ; an infant 
son; and William S. Olive N. married George 
.\. Bullard. She was Ijorn June 5. 1845, and 
died in Elniira, New York, March 5, 1898, 
leaving three daughters. Mary T. was born 
June 3, 1849. She married Charles F. Harris 
and resides in Ptndtncy. She has one son 
William Ciray, a nmsician of note. He 
entered Wesleyan University at Middletown, 
Connecticut, in 1898. He is bright and 
scholarly, and a young man of good morals. 
A promising future is open before him. 

A\'illiam S. Gray the youngest child of \\'il- 
liam N., conducts the affairs of the farm, 
which his father has given up to him. He 
was born April 22. 1861. January 18, 1888, 
he was joined in marriage with Estelle Clift, 
a daughter of Henry R. and Emeline Camp 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



423 



(Ogden) Clift. Estelle was born December 
19, 1866, and died June 24, 1895, leaving all 
of her ten children, — five sons, and five 
daughters. The subject hereof also has two 
interesting grandsons, the progeny of \\'illiam 
S. Gray. Their names are, \\'alter Sawyer, a 
lad of eleven years, and Raymond Clift, a boy 
of five years. 

William N. Gray is a son of Henry and 
Minerva (Loomis) Gray, and a grandson of 
David and Hannah (Newbury) Gray. David 
was born April 9, 1757. He married Hannah 
Newbury, who was born September 2, 1760. 
She had one son by a former marriage. New- 
bury Slingerland, born in 1780. The union 
of our subject's grandparents resulted in the 
children: David; Henry; Edward; Isaiah, 
and John. 

David was born September 2, 1783. Ed- 
ward was born May 17, 1786. He was a miller, 
in Michigan. Isaiah was born July 7, 1799. 
Early in life he left his native place to seek 
his fortune, and all trace of him was lost. John 
was born October 4, 1800. He was a clothier, 
by occupation. He conducted his father's 
carding and dyeing establishment for many 
years. At a later period he owned a similar 
establishment in Corinth, New York, where 
he died. 

Henry Gray, William N.'s father, was born 
in New Brunswick, New Jersey, July 7, 1784. 
-December 2, 1813, he was joined in wedlock 
with Minerva Loomis, who bore him four 
children, all of whom are still living. The 
eldest of these is Mrs. Ann Jennett Hoadley, a 
sketch of whom also appears in this volume. 



She is eighty-four years old. The youngest 
of the family, now, is seventy-one years of 
age. Minerva Loomis was a daughter of 
Fitch and Eunice (Brewster) Loomis, and a 
granddaughter of Fitch and Reuben Loomis. 
The Loomis family were among the pioneer 
families of Connecticut. Reul)en Loomis left 
that state, and located in Middletown, Ver- 
mont. The farm settled by him was retained 
by the family, until 1874. One of the land- 
marks on the place is a magnificent elm tree, 
planted by Reuben Loomis. This tree has 
sur\'i\'ed its planter more than a century. 

William N. Gray's parents li\e(l in two dif- 
ferent houses, previous to occupying their 
fine brick residence, in Middletown. This 
residence was built in 1832. Henry Gray was 
the leading man of the village. He was a mill- 
wright by trade, and diil nnich Iniilding there 
and elsewhere. He owned saw mills, and had 
large tracts of timber land on the mountains. 
He kept on hand constantly a great amount 
of lumber,— enough to fill any contract. He 
l)uilt many of the houses in the village, and 
at one time owned nearly half of the prop- 
erty in it. He built his water power and 
woolen mills, where the great Gray horse 
power factory now stands. He erected and 
operated a distillery, which was the first one in 
the village. 

About the year 1849, he sold his water 
powei^ and buildings to A. W. Gray, whom he 
had reared, from the age of twelve years. 
William N. Gray is, politically, a stanch Re- 
publican. He has served in all the offices of 
his town, including a membership in the legis- 



424 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



lature in 1848 and 1849. He was tlien Init 
twenty-eiglit years old. and c\ en his fatiier 
opposed liis election, and voted against him-. 
However, he was elected by a niajoritv of two 
votes. Mr. Ciray is not a member of anv 
church, but was reared in the Congregational 
faith. 

Everything considered, the subject of this 
sketch has made an excellent record. He 
built the five buildings standing u])()n his 
place, and has otherwise improved it. He is 
surrounded by loving children and grand- 
children, and is spending his closing vears in 
quietude and comfort. 



M 



R. \'OLNEY ROSS,* decea.sed. was 
1^ y a representative man in many busi- 
ness lines. His time was ever at the 
disposal of his friends, and he was called to lill 
many important positions of trust. Tn his 
life and career, we see the full beauty of his 
Christian spirit. For sixty-four years, he was 
known and honored in Brandon, \'ermont, 
as a man of i)robity. a merchant of stainless 
integrity^ a good citizen, a kind ncighlmr, 
and a faithful friend. 

J-)r. J\oss was born June 12. 1S14, in 
Shrt^wsbury, Vermont. He was a son of 
James and Phoebe (Rugg) Ross. His mother 
was a daughter of Levi and Relief (Whit- 
comb) Rugg, both of whom were natives of 
Swanzey, New Ham])shire. In June, 1784, 
they removed to Rindge, New Hampshire. 

Dr. Ross' father was of Scotch ancestry. 



.\fter his marriage, he settled in \\'endell, 
.Massachusetts, and engaged in farming, for 
many years. At a late period in his life, he 
removed to Shrewsbury, \'ermont. Both 
l)arents tinaliy died in extreme old age. at the 
home of one of their sons, in Clarendon, 
where they lie buried. A coincidence in 
connection with the Doctor's ancestors mav 
be mentioned here. His paternal grand- 
mother also bore the name of Rugg, which 
was his mother's maiden name. Dr. Ross is 
one of a famil)- of nine children. — six daugh- 
ters, and three sons. 

He receixed his early training on the ])ater- 
nal farm, where so many successful business 
careers have 1:)een begun. He attended Cas- 
tleton Seminary, and graduated from tlie med- 
ical department of that institution. He ini- 
niediatel}' went to Brandon. N'ermont, where 
he began the practice of medicine, in 1836, 
Dr. Ross commenced without capital, and. 
although he was a successful i^hysician, the 
greater part of his fine property was accpiired 
by merchandising. He opened a drug store, 
in 184J, and in 1850, conducted a genera! 
store. His brother, ]<4)hraini. was his jiartner, 
and the firm name was V. & K. Ross. Subse- 
quently it became Ross & Pitts, and still later, 
Ross, Pitts & Co. The two sons of Mr. Pitts 
being the Company. In 1889, the busi- 
ness was sold to W. D. Nutting, who is the 
present proprietor of the store. 

Dr. Ross was twice married. November 6, 
1837, he wedded Maria L. Hill, a native of 
Salisbury, Vermont. Three children blessed 
this union, — two daughters, and one son, 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



425 



namely: Martha; Charles Hill; and Mary 
Louise. Martha is the widow of Charles D. 
Pitts, and resides in the old home in Bran- 
don. She has two sons, Charles W'illard. 
of Chicago, and Arthur B., of Brook- 
hn, New York. Charles Hill Ross also re- 
sides in Brandon. He has a wife and two 
daughters. Mary Louise is the wife of J. W". 
Copeland, of Troy, New York. She has two 
daughters. The first wife of Dr. Ross died 
January 12, 1880. In 1881, Dr. Ross con- 
tracted a second matrimonial alliance. Li this 
instance. Adelaide V. Abbott became his wife. 
She is a daughter of William P. and Mary 
(Aldrich) Abbott. Her parents were natives 
of Cornwall, Vermont. Both are now de- 
ceased. They reared but two daughters, Mrs. 
Ross, and her younger sister, Abbie M., who 
is the widow of Henry A. Hawley. 

Dr. Ross was a deacon of the Congrega- 
tional church and sang in the choir, for many 
years. He was not only a leading physician 
and successful business luan, but was greatly 
interested in the general welfare of his town. 
Although he attended to his business closely, 
he found time to serve in various town offices, 
and was vice president and director of the 
First National Bank, up to the time of his 
death. He died in the \-illage of Brandon, 
February 11, 1898. His funeral was held in 
the Congregational church, and was attended 
by a large concourse of friends. Rev. Dr. 
Smart, the pastor, who had charge of the ob- 
sequies paid the deceased doctor the follow- 
ing tribute : 

"Ought we not to rejoice that God was 



pleased to give us such a friend, and that for 
so long a time, we have had the example 
of a real man of God's own makinc contin- 
ually Ijefore us ; an encouragement and an 
inspiration to seek and gain a like nobility 
of life for ourselves? Time which tries all 
li\es brought out his \'irtues in increasing 
light. The friends he gained he retained, and 
was always adding to the number; for it was 
quite impossiijle to know him, and not love 
him. The beauty of a winsome spirit lingered 
even to the sunset ; increasing age confirmed 
him in the secure place he had won in the 
love and esteem of his friends and neighbors, 
whether they were the friends of the days 
that were, or of the day which is. 

"He will be greatly missed, for to him was 
given, to 'still bring forth fruit in old age.' 
He retained his interest in the town, and loved 
to assist in everything which woultl jjromote 
its welfare. He will be missed most in this 
church, whose faithful friend and ser\-itor he 
has been. Almost to the end he was per- 
mitted to share her services, and assist her 
work. It is only si.x weeks since he took his 
place for the last time in the choir, where he 
has sung the jjraise of God for over forty- 
three years, and sat with his l)rethren at the 
table of our blessed Lord. A pillar in this 
temple of God has been removed. Only his 
example remains tO' bid us follow in his steps, 
and, like him, to be steadfast until the Master 
comes. His monument is his life. His me- 
luorial is in the hearts of his friends. His 
'name is ointment poured forth.' There is no 
need for eulogy. The silent tribute of this 



426 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



large coni]>any of mourners is tlie best testi- 
monial to till' man as we Iia\e known him. and 
sliali ever romcnil)(.'r him. 

■■\\'e can onl_\- liope and pray tliat the God 
who gave, and has taken, this l)eneticent life, 
will bless its influence; and that from it there 
shall fall, at least upon our indi\'idual path- 
ways through the coming years, the light 
which testifies to the richness of Gods grace, 
and to the honor which waits on a well si)ent 
life. W'e bury all that was mortal in our 
friend: but the spirit of the man may still go 
with us, and cbeer our homeward way. 

"1 have ne\er known so serene a life. It 
should be a revelation to us, a forcible ad- 
monition, of how much we miss by not seek- 
ing this grace of the graces, which under the 
strain of eartli's cares and losses can preserve 
the heart sweet and make life a happiness to 
the very last. Serene in life, he was also se- 
rene in death. He saw its approach, and 
waited for the snnnnons of God, as one waits 
to hear a lo\ed one knock at the door. Oh, 
for the secret of such a life! "Let me die the 
de.nth of the righteous, and let mv last end 
be like his.' 

"I-'or ourseh'es. we mav mourn: but for 
him let us give thanks. I^et us give him 
Christian buri.il. with the resurrectitjn light 
falling on his grave, and with hearts looking 
up to the blessed company of those who have 
finished their course, and who wait for our 
coming to their rest. T^et us bury him in the 
joy of our Lord, and with the i)ravL'r that for 
us all. there m;iy be an end for all our sor- 
rows, in the love of oiu' hca\cnlv Father, who 



calls us by way of the Cross of ^•■- /.car Son, 
to rest in the hope of his lo\e which ne\-er 
fails." 




RS. MARIA K. HYDE,* widow of 
the late Pitt William Hyde, is one 
of the oldest and most esteemed 
residents oi H\(le\ille. \'ermonl. She is well 
known throughout I\ntland county, and is 
regarded as a lady of true worth. 

The Hyde family originally came from Eng- 
land. It is. there, one of the oldest and most 
honored, and is particularly noted for the re- 
finement and intelligence of its members. The 
Hyde genealogy is one of the most volumin- 
ous, complete, and expensively prepared fam- 
ily histories, in the United States. Tlie first 
of the name to seek a home in America were 
two Ijrothers, one of whom was Jetlediah 
Hyde, who was afterward a captain in the 
l've\()lutionary War. I^itt William Hyde was 
born in Sudbury, \'ermont. He died June 23, 
1881. in his sixty-fifth \ear. fie was a ilealer 
in marble. He and his older brother, A. W. 
Hyde, were the founders of Hydeville, and 
at one time, owned nearly all of it. The Hyde- 
ville Marble Comjianv was composed of these 
two brothers, and Dudley B. I'\iller. They 
clitl a large and profitaljle business. 

I^itt William Hyde was united in marriage 
with Maria Kilburn. the subject hereof, Octo- 
ber 8. 185 1. Soon after their marriage the 
young folk settled in the good home where 
Mrs, ll\(le still lives, and which has been her 
abode, for nearlv half a centnrv. Three chil- 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



427 



(Iren were born to them, two daughters and 
one son, as follows: Sarah; Annie May; and 
William Pitt. Sarah married Oliver S. Preb- 
rey, and resides in Burlington, Vermont. They 
have three sons, and one daughter. Annie 
May married Theodore Smith Sherman, of 
Castleton, Vermont. They have one daugh- 
ter, and two sons. William Pitt, the only son 
of Mrs. Maria K. Hyde, is a resident of Port- 
land, Maine, where he has charge of a stock 
exchange. He bears a favorite name for 
many generations in the Hyde family, with a 
transposition, howe\'er, making it William 
Pitt. In naming his son, he returned to the 
old ancestral name, and calls him Pitt William. 
He also has one daughter. 

Mr. Hyde was a Thirty-second degree 
Mason. He was prosperous, and made the 
most of his fine property by industry, thrift, 
and good business management. In politics, 
he was a Democrat, prior to the Charleston 
Convention, but was a Republican ever after- 
ward. He served in the legislature of the state 
of Vermont, for six years. In his religious be- 
lief, he held the Episcopalian faith, and was 
a member of that church. He served as treas- 
urer, and as vestryman. Mr. Hyde was in 
every sense a true gentleman ; he was ever 
kind and genial in social and business circles, 
and was recognized as a leading spirit in both. 

Mrs. H)'de was born in Berkshire, Ver- 
mont, near the Canadian line. She is a daugh- 
ter of Alphonso and Harriet (Johnson) Kil- 
Inun. The first of the Kilburns to come to 
America, sailed over from England on the 
ship "Increase." Abram Kilburn, Mrs. Hyde's 



grandfather, lived in Litchfield, Connecticut. 
He married Elizabeth Miranville. They 
reared a large family of sons and daughters. 
.Abram Kilburn, however, was not robust, and 
died com])aratively young. ' The remains of 
these grandparents rest in the little graveyard 
at Poultney. Mrs. Hyde is one of a family 
of six children, four of whom were daughters, 
and two were sons. All reached maturity, 
married, and are still living, except one. Hiram 
Kilburn died in Fair Haven, Vt., in 1895, or 
1896. He was sixty years old ; his widow sur- 
vived him. During the greater part of his 
life, he was engaged in the manufacture of 
wool, but spent his declining years in retire- 
ment on his farm. 

George Oatman Kilburn, another brother 
of Mrs. Hyde, went to California, in 1849, and 
engaged in gold mining. He is now a resi- 
dent of Los Angeles, California. 




Y^-)| ARRY P. POWERS,* of Number 3, 
Pine street. Proctor, Vermont, holds 
an important and lucrative posi- 
tion with the Vermont Alarble Company, of 
that place. Mr. Powers is not only land sur ■ 
veyor for the above company, but boxes all 
their marble, by contract. He was born in 
the village which is still his home, January 6, 
1855. He was favored with exceptional edu- 
cational advantages. He graduated from 
Middlebury College, in 1882. The fol- 
lowing year he entered the Hartford The- 
ological Seminary (Congregational), from 



428 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



which he graduated, in June, 1886. He then 
labored with the American Home Missionary 
Society, l)cing stationed in tiie West, for a 
brief period. Tliis Hfe, liowever, (hd not suit 
Mr. Powers, who then cliose a business career, 
for wliicli lie beheved himself to be better 
adapted. 

In 1888. he accepted his present position 
which he likes and where he gives perfect sat- 
isfaction to his employers. July 6, 1885, Mr. 
Powers was united in marriage with Cora 
Alice Prior, a daughter of Elbridge William 
and Helen (Headle) Prior, of Sherburne, 
X'ermont. Two children were born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Powers, viz. : Charles Prior and 
Walter Palmer. Charles Prior Powers is a 
lad of eleven years; his brother is one year 
his junior. 

Harry P. Powers is a son of Jeremiah C. 
and Jane .\urelia (Rogers) Powers, a grand- 
son of Richard Montgomery and Polly (Car- 
penter) Powers, and a great-grandson of Jere- 
miah Powers. The Powers family settled in 
Proctor, \'ermont, at an early date. Jere- 
miah Powers was a nati\e of Greenw ich. .Mas- 
sachusetts, wdiere he was born, in 1732. He 
W'as twice married. His first wife, whose 
name has not been preserved, bore him eight 
children, namely: Jeremiah; Dolly; Prud- 
ence; Justus; Joab ; Richard Montgomery; 
George and Gardner. Harry P. Powers' 
great-grandmother died in .\ugust, 1823. and 
the surviving husband contracted a second 
matrimonial alliance. In this instance, he 
married Elizabeth Cooley, who was born in 
1775- 



Richard Montgomery Powers was the 
fourth son of his parents. March 9, 1795, he 
was joined in wedlock with Polly Carpenter. 
They were the i>arents of thirteen children, 
namely: Richard Montgomerv. Jr.; John; 
Charles; Lucy; Daniel C. ; Mary; Dolly; 
.\manda ; Melinda; Sarah; Nicholas; Jere- 
miah C, Harry P. Powers' father; and .\rte- 
mas C. Nicholas Powers was an able archi- 
tect and bridge builder. He died at eighty 
years of age. 

The grantlfatber of the subject hereof and 
his eldest son were in the War of 1812. The 
son was accidentally drowned at Winooski 
Falls, and is buried in Burlington, by the side 
of Ethan Allen. After the burial of this son. 
his father walked to his home which was 
sixty-three miles distant. He was only twen- 
ty-four hours on the way, and carried forty 
pounds of his son's things. Richard Mont- 
gomerv Powers died in 1847. ^'^ widow 
survived him until 1863, and died an octoge- 
narian. 

Jeremiah C. Powers, father of Harry P., 
was an aide farmer as was his father, before 
him. He was a stalwart man, of noble phy- 
sique. February 7, 1847, he was joined in 
marriage with Jane .\urelia Rogers. She was 
born in Whitefield. New Hampshire, Janu- 
arv 3. 1827. I'wo daughters and one son were 
the result of this imion. as follows; l.ydia 
Maria, Kate Gertrude, and Harrx' P., the sub- 
ject of these lines. Lydia ]\Iaria Powers is a 
clerk in the War Department at Washington, 
D. C. where she has been employed many 
vears. Kate Gertrude is the widow of Charles 



RUTLAND COUNTY 



429 



Powers, of the same city. Jeremiah C. Pow- 
ers died very suddenh'. of lieart faikire, his 
death talking place September 9, 1881. His 
widow survi\-ed liim until July 20, 1894. 

Harry P. Powers is. politicalh-, a Republi- 
can, and has served as selectman, and as vil- 
lage trustee. While in Kansas he was deputy 
county surveyor of Rice county. He erected 
his ])reseat comfortable residence, in 1889. 
He is now building a liandsome modern cot- 
tage on River street. Mrs. Powers was edu- 
cated at the normal school at Randolph, Ver- 
mont, and, prior to her marriage, taught 
school. Both Mr. and Mrs. Powers are social 
fa\orites. 




RNOLD MANCHESTER,- a promi- 
nent stock farmer and dairyman of 
Rutland county, \'ermont, is most 
pleasantly situated on his one hundred and 
five-acre farm just outside the village of Bran- 
don. Mr. Manchester was born in \Miitehall, 
New York, November 2, 1821. He is a son 
of John and Pamelia (Meeker) Manchester, 
and a grandson of Thomas Manchester. 

The Manchester family originally came 
from England. Tradition says that three 
brothers of that name came over in the his- 
toric Mayflower. One brotlier is said to have 
settled in Massachusetts, another in Rhode 
Island, and the third in New Hampshire. 

Thomas Manchester was a farmer. He re- 
moved from Rhode Island to Shaftesbury, 
Vermont, about the year 1791, and settled. 



later, in Whitehall, New York. His family con- 
sisted of four sons, and two daughters. All 
reared families. One son went to Ohio, and 
the family thus became scattered. Thomas 
Manchester died about the year 1821, and 
rests in Hampton, New York. John Man- 
chester, Arnold's father, was born in Rhode 
Island in August, 1787. He was a farmer in 
\ery fair circumstances. He did not aspire to 
wealth, but was out of debt, and lived well, 
besides ha\-ing money to give each of his 
children a start in life. He married Pamelia 
Meeker, a native of Redding, Connecticut. 
She was one of a large family of children, sev- 
eral of whom lived to reach "the nineties." 
Mrs. Manchester, herself, attainefl the age of 
seventy-five years, and was cut off by con- 
sumption. Arnold's parents had se\-en chil- 
dren. All grew up save the first born, Lucy, 
who died young. The others were : Mary ; 
Arnold: Huldah; Lewis P.; Lucy A.; and 
John. 

Mary married Wales C. Humphrey. Hul- 
dah married N. G. Barker, of Hubbardton, 
and is now nearly seventy-five years old. She 
has one daughter. Lewis P. was a farmer, 
and died, of consumption, at the age of fifty- 
five years. One son survived him. Lucy A. 
was twice married. Her first husband lost his 
life in the Civil War, and she was left with 
three little daughters. Her second husband 
was Albert Breeze, by whom she had one 
daughter. John, the youngest son, died when 
a youth of seventeen years. Arnold Man- 
chester remained on the paternal farm until 
he attained his majority. He then hired out 



430 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



as a farm liand, for several years. He was 
thrice married. XoNcniher lA, 1848. lie wed- 
ded Eliza A. Morehouse, of Brandon. Five 
years later she passed to her final rest. — a 
victim of consumiUion. One son, Franklin 
Manchester, survived her. He was a dru.i^- 
gist in Brandon, and died, in 1895, leaving- a 
widow and three children. 

The second matrimonial venture of Arnold 
Manchester was with T.ucinda C. Brown, of 
Whiting, Vermont. She bore her hu.sband 
one son, John, who died at the early age of 
ten years, — just one year after the death of 
his mother, who laid down the burden of life 
in T865, while yet in middle age. 

Mr. Manchester's present wife was, before 
her marriage, Elmira N. Brown. She is a 
sister of the second wife of the subject hereof. 
One daughter blessed this union. Flora B., 
now a young lady, in her seventeenth year. Mr. 
Manchester settled at his jiresent home, De- 
cember 30, 1876, just in time to begin the 
New 'N'ear. At that time he purchased not 
only his present farm, but seventy acres along 



the creek, one mile west of Brandon, and 
twentv acres of cedar swamji. The whole was 
bought for a consideration of $10,000, — 
$2,500 of which was borrowed capital. In a 
very short time, howe\'er, lie sold a marble 
])ri\ilege to a company, for $j,ooo, and was 
able to clear the debt. 

December 6, 1897, Mr. Manchester met 
with quite a misfortune. His cow-shed (con- 
taining nine fine cows), together with two 
large barns, was destroyed by fire. In his 
efforts to save his faithful animals, he came 
near losing his own life. Fine new buildings 
took the place of the ones burned. Mr. Man- 
chester now has ten cows, and has made a 
specialty of keeping fine Merino sheep. At 
one time, three-fourths of his flock of sixty- 
five sheep fell victims to an epidemic. Fie 
has owned some verv choice stock in this line. 
Mr. Manchester is the possessor of a fine con- 
stitution, and has always enjoyed robust 
health. Although he has been a hardworking 
man. he is still strong and acti\e, and appears 
much younger than he really is. 



^ 



INDEX 



Biograpbical 



Adams. Andrew N. 
Alden, Timothy H. 
Allen, Lafayette 
Atwood, Don Elijah 

B 



31 

388 
274 
266 



Baker, Joel Clarke 


61 


Baker, Loren Melvin . 


57 


Bajcer, Orville Clark, M. D. 


386 


Barker, Augustus . 


313 


Barker, Uavid A. . . . 


48 


Barrett. Judge James . 


255 


Baxter, Chauncey Levi 


330 


Beaman, John B. . . . 


231 


Bellerose, Alberic H., M. D. 


208 


Benedict, Jasper A. 


56 


Bennett. Charles Carleton 


96 


Blanchard, John W. . 


411 


Bliss. Ebenezer Janes . 


82 


Blossom, Dr. William Ripley 


206 


Boardman, Charles Henry 


142 


Bogue, Susan Elizabeth 


267 


Bolger, Martin 


141 


Bourne, Montraville A. 


161 


Bradshaw, Mrs. Betsey (Bemai 


1) 122 


Braislin, Rev. Gibbs 


148 



Brown, George Francis 
Buffum, Dr. John Harold 
Burbank. Samuel Kendall 
Burditt, Dan D. 
Burditt. E. A. . . 

Butler, Hon. Fred Mason 
Butler. William B. 
Buxton, John Emory 



Carr, Carlos W. 
Chapman, Joseph H. . 
Churchill, George H. . 
Clift, Crocker J. . . . 
Coffey, Rev. Daniel Edward 
Colton, Mrs. Helen M. 
Colvin, Marvin 
Cramton, John Willey . 
Cronan. William . 

D 

Davis, Edgar . 
Davis, Mrs. Susan (Dyer) 
Delahanty, James . 
Denio, Abel Harwood . 
Denison, William Tyler 
Dewey. John Randolph 



269 
276 
213 
247 
101 
91 
188 
377 



73 

71 
371 

34 
300 
126 
260 

21 
203 



145 

132 

67 

135 

84 

17 



Dikeman, Myron Morehouse . 107 

Downs, Patrick H. ... 87 

Dunklee, Benjamin Franklin . 303 
Dunton, Charles Howard, A. M., 

D. D 345 

Durfee, Rev. Herbert A., D. D. 258 

Dyer, Horace Hoxie , . . 397 

Dyer, OlinG., M. D. . . . 253 



Eastman, LeGrand . . . 401 
Erskine, Samuel Hodgman . 156 



Farrington, Frederick Horton 297 

Field, Mrs. Anna .... 76 

Field. Burgess Paul . . . 326 

Fish, Hon. Enos C. . . . 359 

Fish, Lester 62 

Fortier, Lewis J 116 

Foster, Frederick O. . . . 177 

Francisco, M. J 113 

Frasier, Prof. Willard A. . . 263 

O 

Gary, Frank Weston . . . 184 

Gebo, Albert N 417 



432 



INDEX. 



Gee. Orrin A.. M. D. 
Giltnore. James L. 
Gilson. Edson P. . 
Gipson, Henry M. 
Goodnough. John M. 
Goodwin. Frank .M. 
Gosselin, Ferdinand 
Gray, Albert Y. 
Gray, William N. . 
Griffin, Benoni 
Griffith, Thomas . 

H 

Haliowell. Mrs. Mary Melvina 
Hanger, Samuel . . . • 
Hanrahan. John D., M. D. 
Harinan, Henry .A. 
Harris, Mrs. M. G. . . 
Harrison, Miss Alice .Mary 
Haynes, Alpheus . 
Haynes, Rev. Edwin M., D. D 
Haynes, .Mrs. Emily . 
Hendee, Elisha Rich . 
Hewitt, Mrs. Lovina 

Hill, Isaac L 

Hitchcock, Captain Charles 
Hoadley, Mrs. Ann Jennett 
Hoadley, Francis H. 
Hoag. Homer L . 
Hooker, Judson N. 
Horner, Eri W. 
Howe, Charles Luther 
Humphrey, Robert J. 
Hyde, Mrs. Maria K. 



PAGE 

317 
136 

283 
273 
405 

98 
357 

24 
422 

43 
238 



382 
368 
333 
38 
308 
387 
225 
257 
245 
319 
412 
365 
222 
392 
194 
192 
124 
104 
164 
338 
426 



J 

Jones, Alverton G. ... 375 

Jones, John J 88 

Jones, Parker 347 

Jones, Robert 420 

Johnson, Cyrus Alverton . . 168 

Johnson, Colonel Endearing D. 45 



K 



Jr. 



Kenney, George W. 
Ketchum, James M. 
Keyes. Elmer Duane . 
Kidder, Mrs. Lucy (Cutler) 
King, James C. . . . 
Kinsman, Charles C. . 



246 
27 
366 
175 
173 
93 



Leavenworth. Prof. Abel Edgar 353 

Leonard, Erwin .... 23 

Lewis, Mark 406 

Lincoln, Frank F i!)6 

Louis, .Mrs. Maria . . in 

Lyon, Mrs. Cornelia J. . . 234 

Lyon, Thomas J 102 



M 

McClure, Marvin A. . 
McGuirk. James J. 
.Manchester. Arnold 
Manchester, Dr. Hiram Le 
Martin, Mrs. Sarah H. 
Mason, William C. 
Meacham, Ozro 
Mead, John Abner 
Mead, John H. 
Metcalf, John . 
Miller, Edgar N. . . 
Mitchell. Corintha E. . 
Mitchell. Martha P. . 
Mound, Dr. Thomas . 
Murdick, Clarence H. 

N 

Newton. .AJexander S. 
Nichols, Joel Thomas . 
Norton. Dr. Arthur Clarence 
Norton, Charles W. 
Noyes, Hiram Franklin 



Page, Captain Lemuel W. 
Patrick, William .V. 
Partridge, Herbert E. . 
Parks, Darius S. 
Peck, Orin A. . . . 
Peck, Simon L. 
Peppier, George . 
Phelps, Mrs Anna B. . 
Phelps, Erastus Hibbard 
Potter, Collins 
Potter, Fayette 
Powers, Harry P. . 
Pratt, Martin Van Buskirk 
Prove, Fred J. . . 



Ransom, Albert Vanness 



415 
223 
429 
287 
337 
125 
64 
II 
323 
360 
95 
310 
310 
151 
413 



343 

186 
131 
215 
181 



295 

154 

227 

191 

221 

15 

236 

381 

284 

13 

13 

427 

235 

134 



241 



Reed, Mrs. Marcia .\nn 

Rogers, Asa J 

Ross, Dr. Carroll B. . . 
Ross, Edward V. . 
Ross, Dr. Lucretius Dewey 
Ross. Dr. \"olney . 
Ruggles, Horace M. . 
Ruggles, Mrs. Mary Cheney 
Rumsey, Henry Clav . 
Russell. Edward B. 



Sargent, Simon R. . 
Sherman, Solon 
Smalley, Orange A. 
Smith, Hiram A. 
Smith, Otis Frederick 
Smith, Rollin C. 
Smith, rheron Bush 
Stafford, John Stephen 
Sterns, Charles . . 
Stone, Addison Gardner 
Spalding, Richard Marvin 
Symons, Major Josiah W. 



Tarbell, Marshall . . . 
Taylor, P^dward C. . 
Terrill, .Samuel .... 
Thomas, Charles F. 
Thomson, Dr. Jesse Eugene 
Thrall, Reuben R. . . . 
Trudel, Dr. Jacques J. . 



285 
201 
408 
138 
211 
424 

36 
197 

81 
233 



171 
121 
328 
279 
288 

77 
365 

85 
182 

41 
243 
335 



293 
204 
152 
418 
61 
410 
277 



\ail, Aaron Jackson . . . 305 

\"erder, .Mrs. Clarinda Willard 162 

W 

Wakefield, Thomas Erastus, M. D. 128 

Walker. Henry Freeman, M. D. 53 

Ward, Mrs. Sophia ... 46 

Webb, Adin Reynolds . . 315 

Weed, Mrs. Mary E. . , . 72 

Westcott, Mrs. Jane ... 118 

Wheaton, George D. . . . 217 

Whittaker, Edward S. . . 166 

Williams. John M. ... 391 

Willis. Charles F. ... 158 

Willson, Samuel Morgan . . Ill 

Winn. George B . . . . 394 

Wood, Mrs. Fanny B. . . . 421 



portraits 



Adams, Andrew N. 

Baker, Joel Clarke 

Baker, Orville Clark, M. D. 

Barker, Augustus 

Beaman, John B. 

Bolger, Martin 

Bourne, Montraville A. 

Burditt, E. A. . . . 

Butler, Hon. Fred Mason 

Chapman, Joseph H. . 

Cramton, John Willey 

Dunklee, Benjamin Franklin 

Dyer, Anderson Dana, M. 
A. M 

Dyer, Horace Hoxie . 



D., 



PAGE 

30 

50 

384 

312 

230 

140 

160 

100 

90 

70 

20 

302 

251 
396 



Dyer, Olin G., M. D. . 
Frasier, Prof. Willard A. . 
Gilson. Edson P. . . . 
Gipson, Henry M. . . 
Goodnough, John M. 
Hanrahan, John D., M. D. 

Hill, Isaac L 

Hill, Mrs. Julia B. . . . 
Jones, Alverton G. 
Leavenworth. Prof. Abel Edga 
Mead, John Abner 
Mead, John H. ... 
Mound, Dr. Thomas 
Newton, Alexander S. . . 
Norton, Dr. Arthur Clarence 



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PAOE 


Noyes. Hiram Franklin 


. 180 


Parks, Darius S. . . . 


. 190 


Peck.OrinA. .... 


. 220 


Ransom, Albert Vanness . 


. 240 


Rogers, Asa J 


. 200 


Ross, Mrs. Charlotte M. (Dewey), 


Dr. Lucretius Dewev, Dr. 


Car- 


roll B. and Paul D. . 


. 210 


Rumsey, Henry Clay . 


80 


Sargent, Simon R. . . 


. 170 


Sherman. Solon 


. 120 


Stong, Addison Gardner . 


40 


Tarbell, Marshall . . . 


. 292 


Thomson, Dr. Jesse Eugene 


60 


Williams. John M. . . 


. 390 


Willson. Samuel Morgan . 


110 



